Other
Scientific paper
Jan 2004
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2004xmm..pres...69.&link_type=abstract
XMM Press Release SNR 1-2004
Other
Scientific paper
Supernova 1993J exploding hi-res
Size hi-res: 222 kb Credits: ESA and Justyn R. Maund (University of Cambridge)
Supernova 1993J exploding (artist’s impression) New observations with the Hubble Space Telescope allow a look into a supernova explosion under development. In this artist’s view the red supergiant supernova progenitor star (left) is exploding after having transferred about 10 solar masses of hydrogen gas to the blue companion star (right). This interaction process happened over about 250 years and affected the supernova explosion to such an extent that SN 1993J was later known as one of the most peculiar supernovae ever seen.
Supernova 1993J exploding hi-res
Size hi-res: 4200 kb Credits: ESA and Justyn R. Maund (University of Cambridge)
The site of the Supernova 1993J explosion A virtual journey into one of the spiral arms of the grand spiral Messier 81 (imaged with the Isaac Newton Telescope on La Palma, left) reveals the superb razor-sharp imaging power of the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope (Hubble’s WFPC2 instrument, below). The close-up (with Hubble’s ACS, to the right) is centred on the newly discovered companion star to Supernova 1993J that itself is no longer visible. The quarter-circle around the supernova companion is a so-called light echo originating from sheets of dust in the galaxy reflecting light from the original supernova explosion.
Supernova 1993J explosing site hi-res
Size hi-res: 1502 kb Credits: ESA and Justyn R. Maund (University of Cambridge)
Close-up of the Supernova 1993J explosion site (ACS/HRC image) This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image shows the area in Messier 81 where Supernova 1993J exploded. The companion to the supernova ‘mother star’ that remains after the explosion is seen in the centre of the image.
The image is taken with Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys and is a combination of four exposures taken with ACS’ High Resolution Camera. The exposures were taken through two near-UV filters (250W, 2100 seconds and 330W, 1200 seconds) shown in purple and blue, a deep blue filter (435W, 1000 seconds) shown in green and a green filter (555W, 1120 seconds) shown in red.
The quarter-circle around the supernova companion is a so-called light echo originating from sheets of dust in the galaxy reflecting light from the original supernova explosion. The timing of the appearance of these echoes can be used to map out the dust structure around the supernova. The light echo was detected in late 2002 and early 2003 by two competing groups of scientists.
Messier 81 spiral arm (WFPC2 image) hi-res
Size hi-res: 1502 kb Credits: ESA and Justyn R. Maund (University of Cambridge)
Messier 81 spiral arm (WFPC2 image) This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image shows a small portion of one of Messier 81’s spiral arms. It extends about 0.03 x 0.03 degrees. The supernova companion is the bluish star in the upper right hand corner. Dust lanes in the spiral arms of the galaxy are seen, as well as many other stars and a few star forming nebulae.
The image is composed of four separate exposures from the ESO/ST-ECF Archive through a blue filter, a green filter, a red filter and a near-infrared filter. The image was taken with Hubble’s Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2.
Acknowledgement: Bob Kirshner (Harvard University, USA)
Grand Spiral Messier 81 (ground-based) hi-res
Size hi-res: 1502 kb Credits: ESA/INT/DSS2
Grand Spiral Messier 81 (ground-based) This ground-based image shows the spiral galaxy Messier 81 in its entirety. The image is a combination of exposures from the Isaac Newton Telescope on La Palma (courtesy of Jonathan Irwin) and Digitized Sky Survey 2 images.
The dynamic duo, Messier 81 and 82 (ground-based) hi-res
Size hi-res: 1502 kb Credits: Robert Gendler (http://www.robgendlerastropics.com)
The dynamic duo, Messier 81 and 82 (ground-based) This wide-angle image taken by astrophotographer Robert Gendler shows the amazing duo of Messier 81 (right) and Messier 82 (left). These two mighty galaxies in the Plough (Ursa Major) belong to some of the most famous and beloved galaxies known to amateur astronomers. This may be one of the reasons that Supernova 1993J was discovered by the Spanish amateur astronomer Francisco Garcia Diaz and not a professional astronomer.
The violent star-forming activity in the neighbouring Messier 82 gives rise to a strong galactic wind that is spewing knotty filaments of hydrogen and nitrogen gas (seen in red) out of its centre.
Supernovae are some of the most significant sources of chemical elements in the Universe, and they are at the heart of our understanding of the evolution of galaxies.
Supernovae are some of the most violent events in the Universe. For many years astronomers have thought that they occur in either solitary massive stars (Type II supernovae) or in a binary system where the companion star plays an important role (Type I supernovae). However no one has been able to observe any such companion star. It has even been speculated that the companion stars might not survive the actual explosion...
The second brightest supernova discovered in modern times, SN 1993J, was found in the beautiful spiral galaxy M81 on 28 March 1993. From archival images of this galaxy taken before the explosion, a red supergiant was identified as the mother star in 1993 - only the second time astronomers have actually seen the progenitor of a supernova explosion (the first was SN 1987A, the supernova that exploded in 1987 in our neighbouring galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud).
Initially rather ordinary, SN 1993J began to puzzle astronomers as its ejecta seemed too rich in the chemical element helium and instead of fading normally it showed a bizarre sharp increase in brightness. The astronomers realised that a normal red supergiant alone could not have given rise to such a weird supernova. It was suggested that the red supergiant orbited a companion star that had shredded its outer layers just before the explosion.
Ten years after this cataclysmic event, a European/University of Hawaii team of astronomers has now peered deep into the glowing remnants of SN 1993J using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope’s Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) and the giant Keck telescope on Mauna Kea in Hawaii. They have discovered a massive star exactly at the position of the supernova that is the long sought companion to the supernova progenitor.
This is the first supernova companion star ever to be detected and it represents a triumph for the theoretical models. In addition, this observation allows a detailed investigation of the stellar physics leading to supernova explosions. It is now clear that during the last 250 years before the explosion 10 solar masses of gas were torn violently from the red supergiant by its partner. By observing the companion closely in the coming years it may even be possible to detect a neutron star or black hole emerge from the remnants of the explosion ‘in real time’.
Given the paucity of observations of supernova progenitor systems this result, published in Nature on 8 January 2004, is likely to “be crucial to understanding how very massive stars explode and why we see such peculiar supernovae” according to first author Justyn R. Maund from the University of Cambridge, UK.
Stephen Smartt, also from the University of Cambridge, says “Supernova explosions are at the heart of our understanding of the evolution of galaxies and the formation of chemical elements in the Universe. It is essential that we know what type of stars produce them.” For the last ten years astronomers have believed that they could understand the very peculiar behaviour of 1993J by invoking the existence of a binary companion star and now this picture has proved correct.
According to Rolf Kudritzki from the University of Hawaii “The combination of the outstanding spatial resolution of Hubble and the huge light gathering power of the Keck 10m telescope in Hawaii has made this fantastic discovery possible.”
Supernovae occur when a star of more than about eight times the mass of the Sun reaches the end of its nuclear fuel reserv
No affiliations
No associations
LandOfFree
First supernova companion star found 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 First supernova companion star found, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and First supernova companion star found will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-829943