It may look embryonic, but the type 1A Supernova is anything but, with the exception that it involves a concentrated amount of energy with the potential for generative creation.Unlike most other supernovas, a type 1A is caused by a white dwarf star being consumed in a gigantic thermonuclear explosion. They are one of the brightest phenomena visible in space due to their consistant amounts of energy available in visible wavelengths, making them particularly easy for astronomers to track. The origin of these energy-rich explosions, however, has been a frustratingly elusive puzzle for astronomers since the phenomena was first documented. Difficult, that is, until a recent breakthrough from NASA.“For all their importance, it’s a bit embarrassing for astronomers that we don’t know fundamental facts about the environs of these supernovae,” Stefan Immler, an astrophysicist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., said in a release.For decades, astronomers have known that type 1A supernovas originate from white dwarfs, although the exact environment under which this massive energy transfer is possible has been a major unknown. Two popular theories include white dwarfs orbiting normal stars or red giants, pulling matter away from them and into its own core, leading to an extremely unstable balance of energy. Another likely explanation revolves around two white dwarfs orbiting and finally colliding, creating a massive supernova. However, to this point, all potential explanations for the Type 1A have remained theoretical.
The recent clues come thanks to NASA’s Swift Telescope, launched into lower earth orbit on November 20, 2004, as part of NASA’s medium explorer (MIDEX) program. The telescope is designed to gather data on gamma ray bursts related to star activity, specifically to the creation of black holes. However, SWIFT’s telescopic x-ray and ultra-violet capabilities have also recently proven to be potentially useful tools in unlocking the mystery of where these most powerful and mysterious supernovas originate.NASA scientists have been able to piece together 53 x-ray photographs of a Type 1a supernova (circled below), taken over 35.3 days, giving the deepest ever x-ray photograph of the phenomena and its surrounding environment.
Astronomers have been able to further take advantage of SWIFT’s technology by analyzing ultra-violet optical images taken of a 1a supernova (circled below) ten days after its explosion. Normally interaction with a larger star would provide longer and brighter ultra-violet enhancements, and since none of these were found, astronomers now believe that the origins of the 1a are between a white dwarf and a smaller star.
In the end, supernovas are pretty much a mystery not only for astronomers but for all of us, and while the last one hasn’t been witnessed by a person on earth since the early 1600’s, they are still pretty magnificent to look at, even if it is through the x-ray eyes of a telescope.
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