NASA announced the discovery of remnants of a previously unknown supernova in the Milky Way galaxy, which is now the youngest-known supernova.
NASA discovered remnants of a supernova while conducting an intensive X-Ray of the Milky Way galaxy. The supernova has been named G306.3-0.9 after the coordinates of its sky position and now ranks as the youngest known supernova remnants in the Milky Way galaxy.
"Astronomers have previously cataloged more than 300 supernova remnants in the galaxy," said lead scientist Mark Reynolds, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. "Our analysis indicates that G306.3-0.9 is likely less than 2,500 years old, making it one of the 20 youngest remnants identified."
According to astronomers, supernova explosions take place in the Milky Way once or twice every century. Over several thousand years the increasing blast waves and hot stellar debris slowly disperse. They finally mix with and become indistinguishable from interstellar gases.
The discovery of young supernova remnants gives astronomers the opportunity to study the origin of a star and what led to its demise. These remnants emit energy and each energy band contains important clues about the star.
Reynolds also leads the Swift Galactic Plane Survey, a project to image a two-degree-wide strip along the Milky Way's central plane at X-ray and ultraviolet energies at the same time. Imaging began in 2011 and is expected to complete this summer.
"The Swift survey leverages infrared imaging previously compiled by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope and extends it into higher energies," said team member Michael Siegel, a research associate at the Swift Mission Operations Center (MOC) in State College, Pa., which is operated by Penn State University. "The infrared and X-ray surveys complement each other because light at these energies penetrates dust clouds in the galactic plane, while the ultraviolet is largely extinguished."
Co author Jamie Kennea confirmed that they don't have enough information yet to confirm the type of supernova it was and what type of star exploded. However, they have planned a further observation of the supernova to get a clearer picture.
