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Astronomers discovered in the galaxy UGC 5460 A rare cosmic phenomenon — a star that could fake its own demiseThe Hubble Space Telescope is still studying a galaxy 60 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Ursa Major, SciTechDaily reports.
Scientists have recorded two supernovae in this galaxy — SN 2011ht and SN 2015as. The first supernova, SN 2015as, was confirmed as a classic supernova: a massive star that ran out of fuel and exploded under its own gravity. SN 2011ht, in turn, may be a luminous blue variable. Such stars eject large amounts of material that visually resemble a supernova explosion, but remain intact.
Spiral galaxy UGC 5460 shows off its star-filled bar, winding arms and brilliant blue clusters in this Hubble image. Source/Author: ESA/Hubble & NASA, W. Jacobson-Galán, A. Filippenko, J. Mauerhan
The Hubble Space Telescope is searching for a star at the location of SN 2011ht. If it is found, this will prove that it survived a powerful ejection of matter, and did not explode.
With the help of such observations, astrophysicists study how the shock wave from a supernova interacts with the surrounding gas. The research will also help scientists understand the nature luminous blue variables — a rare type of star.
The data obtained will allow astronomers to more accurately determine which stars are truly preparing to explode and which are only experiencing temporary flares.
Astronomers discovered in the galaxy UGC 5460 A rare cosmic phenomenon — a star that could fake its own demiseThe Hubble Space Telescope is still studying a galaxy 60 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Ursa Major, SciTechDaily reports.
Scientists have recorded two supernovae in this galaxy — SN 2011ht and SN 2015as. The first supernova, SN 2015as, was confirmed as a classic supernova: a massive star that ran out of fuel and exploded under its own gravity. SN 2011ht, in turn, may be a luminous blue variable. Such stars eject large amounts of material that visually resemble a supernova explosion, but remain intact.
Spiral galaxy UGC 5460 shows off its star-filled bar, winding arms and brilliant blue clusters in this Hubble image. Source/Author: ESA/Hubble & NASA, W. Jacobson-Galán, A. Filippenko, J. Mauerhan
The Hubble Space Telescope is searching for a star at the location of SN 2011ht. If it is found, this will prove that it survived a powerful ejection of matter, and did not explode.
With the help of such observations, astrophysicists study how the shock wave from a supernova interacts with the surrounding gas. The research will also help scientists understand the nature luminous blue variables — a rare type of star.
The data obtained will allow astronomers to more accurately determine which stars are truly preparing to explode and which are only experiencing temporary flares.
