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Supernova

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Magnetar-powered gamma glow lights up a distant supernova
space1 day ago

Magnetar-powered gamma glow lights up a distant supernova

NASA’s Fermi detected gamma rays from the luminous core-collapse supernova SN 2017egm (NGC 3191, about 440 million light-years away), supporting the idea that a newborn magnetar—an ultra‑magnetized neutron star—powers the explosion. A magnetar wind nebula and related particle interactions could boost gamma-ray production and reprocess energy into visible light, explaining the unusually bright display; gamma rays begin to leak out as debris expands, with the early light curve matching models though late-time fading remains puzzling. The study also notes the upcoming Cherenkov Telescope Array could detect similar events up to ~500 million light-years, advancing understanding of magnetar engines. The work appeared in Astronomy & Astrophysics on May 20, 2026.

via Space|
#gamma-rays#magnetar#neutron-star
Antarctic ice captures stardust from ancient supernovas, revealing our solar system’s past
space7 days ago

Antarctic ice captures stardust from ancient supernovas, revealing our solar system’s past

Scientists analyzed 40,000–80,000-year-old Antarctic ice and found iron-60, a radioactive byproduct of ancient supernovas, embedded in stardust likely carried through the Local Interstellar Cloud before reaching Earth. The results suggest interstellar dust from stellar explosions can penetrate the solar system, linking our solar neighborhood’s history to past supernovae and offering clues about how interstellar material interacts with our planet.

via Space|
#antarctic-ice#iron-60#local-interstellar-cloud
Earth Plows Through Ancient Supernova Debris Preserved in Antarctic Ice
space-science9 days ago

Earth Plows Through Ancient Supernova Debris Preserved in Antarctic Ice

A new study detects iron-60 in Antarctic ice aged 40,000–80,000 years, tying Earth’s passage through the Local Interstellar Cloud to debris from a past supernova. Using accelerator mass spectrometry on hundreds of kilograms of ice and corroborating isotopes, researchers show the cloud around the Solar System contains material from an ancient stellar explosion, with the iron-60 signal varying over tens of thousands of years and supporting the idea that our cosmic neighborhood records such events.

via SciTechDaily|
#antarctic-ice#interstellar-medium#iron-60
Giant Star WOH G64 Flashes Signs of Impending Explosion
science21 days ago

Giant Star WOH G64 Flashes Signs of Impending Explosion

Astronomers studying WOH G64, among the universe's largest stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud, report dramatic, rapid changes over decades: its surface temperature has climbed more than 1,000°C and its color shifted from red to yellow, with unusual dimming episodes in 2011 and 2025. Such behavior is unprecedented for a star of this size and may mark the final stages of its life, offering a rare, real-time glimpse into how massive stars end their lives and seed the cosmos with heavy elements.

via BBC Sky at Night Magazine|
#large-magellanic-cloud#massive-stars#red-supergiant
Giant Star WOH G64 Shifts Hue, Hinting at Impending Supernova
space-and-astronomy1 month ago

Giant Star WOH G64 Shifts Hue, Hinting at Impending Supernova

Astronomers say the star WOH G64 in the Large Magellanic Cloud has transformed from a red supergiant into a yellow hypergiant (a change tied to observations starting in 2014), is shedding its outer layers, and is heating up—signs that it may be nearing its explosive end. At about 1,500 solar radii, it remains one of the universe’s largest stars, is younger than 5 million years, and new research in Nature Astronomy argues the star could be heading toward a supernova in its relatively short life arc.

via ZME Science|
#astronomy#red-supergiant#space
Giant Star WOH G64 Shifts to Yellow Hypergiant, Foreshadowing a Supernova
science1 month ago

Giant Star WOH G64 Shifts to Yellow Hypergiant, Foreshadowing a Supernova

Astronomers report that the star WOH G64 in the Large Magellanic Cloud has transitioned from a red supergiant to a yellow hypergiant, with ongoing mass loss and heating—a potential sign it is nearing a supernova. The change may result from interactions with a companion or a pre-supernova wind, representing a short-lived but crucial phase in the evolution of a very massive star.

via SciTechDaily|
#red-supergiant#science#stellar-evolution
Birth of a Magnetar Captured Inside a Brilliant Supernova
space2 months ago

Birth of a Magnetar Captured Inside a Brilliant Supernova

Astronomers have for the first time witnessed the birth of a magnetar—an ultra-strongly magnetized neutron star—at the heart of a rare, superluminous supernova (SN 2024afav). The event’s peculiar light curve, including four diminishing “chirps” caused by a Lense–Thirring precession of a disk around the newborn magnetar, provides the first observational link between such births and magnetar-powered superluminous explosions, with the object estimated to spin ~4.2 milliseconds and harbor a magnetic field about 300 trillion times Earth's.

via Live Science|
#general-relativity#lense-thirring#magnetar
Gravitational lens splits distant supernova into four images to probe cosmic expansion
science2 months ago

Gravitational lens splits distant supernova into four images to probe cosmic expansion

A distant Type I superluminous supernova, SN 2025wny at z=2.01, was gravitationally lensed by a foreground galaxy into four images arriving at different times. By analyzing these time delays and light curves, astronomers aim to refine measurements of the universe's expansion and shed light on dark energy, potentially addressing the Hubble tension.

via Indian Defence Review|
#dark-energy#gravitational-lensing#hubble-constant
Magnetar birth confirmed inside colossal supernova
astronomy2 months ago

Magnetar birth confirmed inside colossal supernova

Astronomers have confirmed the births of a magnetar—a highly magnetized, rapidly spinning neutron star—within a rapidly bright supernova, SN 2024afav. Analysis of the 200‑day light curve revealed four chirps caused by a wobbling accretion disk around the newborn magnetar, with general relativity’s frame‑dragging explaining the timing. The magnetar spins about 238 times per second and possesses a magnetic field hundreds of trillions of times stronger than Earth's, providing definitive evidence for the magnetar–superluminous supernova connection.

via Space|
#astronomy#general-relativity#magnetar
Gigantic Star WOH G64 Poised for Cosmic Catastrophe
science2 months ago

Gigantic Star WOH G64 Poised for Cosmic Catastrophe

Astronomers say WOH G64, a red supergiant in the Large Magellanic Cloud about 165,000 light-years away and roughly 30 solar masses with a radius over 1,500 suns, is likely transitioning toward a yellow hypergiant after shedding outer layers; this may lead to a spectacular end in a supernova or direct collapse into a black hole, with the fate expected to unfold over hundreds to thousands of years in cosmic time.

via Yahoo|
#large-magellanic-cloud#red-supergiant#science
Astronomers watch a 1,540-solar-radius star flip from red to yellow, hinting at a possible supernova
astronomy2 months ago

Astronomers watch a 1,540-solar-radius star flip from red to yellow, hinting at a possible supernova

Astronomers tracking the star WOH G64 in the Large Magellanic Cloud have observed it change from a red supergiant into a rare yellow hypergiant, a dramatic and unusually slow transformation that could mark the star’s evolution toward a core-collapse supernova or direct black-hole formation. The object, about 28 solar masses and roughly 1,540 times the Sun’s size, may be part of a binary system, with interactions potentially influencing its path to death. While this hints at a possible explosive finale, the final fate remains uncertain and would likely occur on timescales of hundreds to thousands of years rather than within our lifetime; the findings were reported in Nature.

via Space|
#astronomy#large-magellanic-cloud#red-supergiant