The Cassiopeia A Supernova was of Type IIB

Details The Cassiopeia A Supernova was of Type IIB The Cassiopeia A Supernova was of Type IIB

2008-05-29

arxiv.org/abs/0805.4557v1

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astrophysics

17 pages, 4 figures, including online supporting material; to be published in Science on 30 May 2008

Scientific paper

10.1126/science.1155788

Cassiopeia A is one of the youngest supernova remnants known in the Milky Way and a unique laboratory for supernova physics. We present an optical spectrum of the Cassiopeia A supernova near maximum brightness, obtained from observations of a scattered light echo - more than three centuries after the direct light of the explosion swept past Earth. The spectrum shows that Cassiopeia A was a type IIb supernova and originated from the collapse of the helium core of a red supergiant that had lost most of its hydrogen envelope prior to exploding. Our finding concludes a longstanding debate on the Cassiopeia A progenitor and provides new insight into supernova physics by linking the properties of the explosion to the wealth of knowledge about its remnant.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

The Cassiopeia A Supernova was of Type IIB does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with The Cassiopeia A Supernova was of Type IIB, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and The Cassiopeia A Supernova was of Type IIB will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-179727