Rare double-supernova binary reveals history of two massive stars
Scientists report evidence that two massive stars in a binary system both exploded as supernovas, creating the Jellyfish Nebula (IC 443) and a nearby nebula (G189.6+3.3). Based on more than a decade of NASA’s Fermi observations, the progenitors were roughly 15–25 and at least 20 solar masses; their explosions occurred tens of thousands of years apart, and the remnants are likely neutron stars. This rare system provides direct clues to how massive binaries evolve and end their lives.
