This serene spiral galaxy hides a cataclysmic previous. The galaxy IC 758, proven on this NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope picture, is located 60 million light-years away within the constellation Ursa Main.
Hubble captured this picture in 2023. IC 758 seems peaceable, with its gentle blue spiral arms curving gently round its hazy barred heart. Nevertheless, in 1999, astronomers noticed a robust explosion on this galaxy. The supernova SN 1999bg marked the dramatic finish of a star much more large than the Solar.
Researchers have no idea precisely how large this star was earlier than it exploded, however will use these Hubble observations to measure the plenty of stars in SN 1999bg’s neighborhood. These measurements will assist them estimate the mass of the star that went supernova. The Hubble information can also reveal whether or not SN 1999bg’s progenitor star had a companion, which would supply extra clues in regards to the star’s life and dying.
A supernova represents extra than simply the demise of a single star — it’s additionally a robust drive that may form its neighborhood. When an enormous star collapses, triggering a supernova, its outer layers rebound off its shrunken core. The explosion stirs the interstellar soup of fuel and dirt out of which new stars kind. This interstellar shakeup can scatter and warmth close by fuel clouds, stopping new stars from forming, or it may compress them, making a burst of latest star formation. The cast-off layers enrich the interstellar medium, from which new stars kind, with heavy parts manufactured within the core of the supernova.
Textual content Credit score: ESA/Hubble
Picture Credit score: ESA/Hubble & NASA, C. Kilpatrick