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New study reveals unusual remains of a historical supernova in 3D
- A nebula called Pa 30 has been identified as the remnants of a supernova that occurred in 1181.
- Astronomers' recent use of Caltech's Keck Cosmic Web Imager (KCWI) in mapping Pa 30's strange filaments in 3D showed their unusual streaming outward from the explosion's location.
- KCWI afforded the image clarity of every pixel in multiwavelength detail multiwavelength capturing every pixel in an image, with the team then using spectral information to create a 3D map of the structure.
- Some of the stars survived this Type Iax supernova, leaving behind a 'zombie star'.
- Using the 'red arm' of KCWI, the team discovered that the filaments in the supernova material are flying outward from the explosion at approximately 1000 km per second.
- The 3D imaging also revealed a large cavity inside the spindly, spherical structure indicating an asymmetric explosion in addition to the filament material.
- Scientists believe the filament material in Pa 30 was generated by the supernova but cannot yet explain how or when the filaments formed.
- Christoph Martin, Caltech professor of physics leading the KCWI project, likened a standard image of the supernova to a static photo of a fireworks display.
- He added KCWI gives something more like a 'movie' by measuring the motion of the explosion's embers streaking outward from the central explosion.
- The study, published in Astrophysical Journal Letters, was led by NASA Hubble Fellow Tim Cunningham and some parts of the study were funded by NASA, the National Science Foundation, and FONDECYT.
- The findings reveal the most sensitive spatial and spectral measurements of Pa 30's 3D map to date, holding the current record for the largest contiguous region surveyed with the red channel.
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