Washington, DC – Astronomers have recently confirmed the fate of a star that exploded into a spectacular supernova visible from Earth over three decades ago. The remnants of this explosion have transformed into a neutron star, a peculiar entity within the cosmos.
Back in 1987, a star in a neighboring galaxy went supernova, creating a luminous event that could be seen with the naked eye on Earth for several months. Scientists anticipated that when the star’s core collapsed, it would result in one of two outcomes: a black hole, impossible to escape from; or a neutron star, one of the densest objects in the universe.
The challenge arose from the significant amount of debris surrounding the explosion, obstructing astronomers’ visibility beyond the dust. However, NASA’s Webb Space Telescope was able to penetrate the obstruction by utilizing infrared light, detecting distinct chemical signatures – argon and sulfur – characteristic of a pulsating, super-hot neutron star.
The recent and well-documented nature of this supernova event will provide astronomers with vital insights into this enigmatic cosmic phenomenon and its contribution to seeding the universe with essential elements like carbon and iron.
This newfound neutron star measures a mere 12 miles end to end, yet carries a weight equivalent to 1 1/2 times that of our sun. Its dense composition leaves little space between its atomic components. While there exist older neutron stars in our galaxy, the aftermath of supernova 1987A presents a unique opportunity for modern astronomy to observe the birth of such an object.
Lead author Claes Fransson, an astrophysicist at Stockholm University in Sweden, described the images of the distant supernova remnants as resembling “a ring of pearls” encircling a dust cloud, within which the neutron star is located.
Despite longstanding suspicions regarding the collapsed core’s transformation into a neutron star, the Webb telescope’s measurements, while not providing a direct image of the neutron star, offer a conclusive confirmation according to Fransson and other experts in the field.
Stanford University astrophysicist Roger Blandford, who was not part of the study, commended the compelling case for a neutron star resulting from the supernova event, emphasizing the ongoing value of such events in expanding knowledge about neutrinos and star evolution.
This discovery sheds light on the intricate processes at play in the universe, offering scientists a rare glimpse into the formation and early evolution of neutron stars following a supernova explosion.