Using archival data from the Japan-led Suzaku X-ray satellite, astronomers have determined the pre-explosion mass of a white dwarf star that blew up thousands of years ago. The measurement strongly suggests the explosion involved only a single white dwarf, ruling out a well-established alternative scenario involving a pair of merging white dwarfs. This is a study of 3C 397, a supernova remnant shown here in X-rays from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory (purple) and Suzaku (blue), indicates the blast arose from a single white dwarf that accumulated matter from a normal companion star. The white dwarf exploded as its mass neared 1.4 solar masses.
Read more about Single White Dwarf to Blame in Supernova 'Crime Scene'
No comments:
Post a Comment