Hubble has imaged the remains of a supernova called 1E 0102.2-7219. What remains of a star is a … [+]
NASA, ESA, and J. Banovetz and D. Milisavljevic (Purdue University)
The Hubble Space Telescope has captured light from a supernova explosion – an explosive star – that would have been seen from Earth 1,700 years ago.
Although no known human records have been seen, a cosmic explosion compared to fireworks would have been seen by humans in Earth’s southern hemisphere.
It is now visible with the Hubble Space telescope as a green-blue shell – supernova remnant (SNR) – in a nearby galaxy on the Milky Way known as the Magellanic Cloud (SMC).
The SNR for short is called 1E0102.2-7219, or E0102. Here’s everything you need to know about how Hubble’s amazing images were used to determine the date of a supernova explosion.
1E0102.2-7219, is nearly 50 light-years (15 parsecs) away from the crowd … [+]
NASA, ESA and Hubble Heritage Team (STScI / AURA)
What and where is E0102?
E0102 is the remnant of a massive explosion of a star in a nearby rugged galaxy – the SMC.
The images from Hubble show what happened after a supernova – the dissipating energy has created a spectacular display of blue-green filaments.
The image above of part of the SMC shows that E0102 is “dense” – about 50 light-years away – from a large area forming stars of glorious hydrogen emissions called N 76 and Henize. You can see that as the pink-ish section on the right side of the image. E0102 is at the center of the image.
This image shows the area of sky around the remains of supernova 1E 0102.2-7219.
ESA / Hubble, Sky Study Digitized 2. Acknowledgments: Davide De Martin
What do we know about the star?
Not many, though it may have been a Wolf-Rayet star – a very large and old star made of heavy elements that may have exploded its hydrogen before the explosion.
Astronauts think so because the colors of E0102 indicate that it was full of oxygen rather than hydrogen and helium.
How did astronauts use Hubble images?
Although E0102 was previously known, its age was unknown. Treating E0102 as forensic evidence, astronomers used Hubble ‘s observations on the E0102 that took a decade apart to measure the degree of cloud expansion.
They did so by measuring how fast 22 oxygen-filled debris knots in the SNR had moved in 10 years. They then discovered back to space in space where the progenitor star had exploded.
This image shows an artist’s impression of an ESA / NASA / ESA Hubble Space Space Telescope in orbit 600 … [+]
European Space Agency
Why Hubble’s longevity was so crucial
“A preliminary study compared images taken years apart by two different cameras on Hubble, the Planetary Field Wide 2 Camera and the Advanced Camera for Studies (ACS),” said Danny Milisavljevic of Purdue University in Lafayette Indiana, one of the leaders of the research team whose paper was unveiled yesterday at the 237th meeting of the Astronomical Society of America.
“But our study comparing data taken with the same camera, the ACS, makes the comparison much stronger; it was easier to follow the knots using the same instrument, ”he said.
“It’s a testament to Hubble’s longevity that we can make such a clean comparison of the images taken 10 years apart.”
Above right is the Magellanic Cloud, and below is the Magellanic Cloud in this image … [+]
Universal Images Group via Getty Images
What is the SMC?
The Magellanic Little Cloud is a satellite galaxy of our Milky Way. It is about 200,000 light-years away in the Tucana constellation. It is very easy to see in the night skies in the southern hemisphere.
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.