• Astronomy They detect the remains of a hypernova that exploded in the early universe

In a world first, astronomers have captured the first moments of a

supernova

, the explosive death of stars, in detail never seen before. From data captured by the

Kepler space telescope

of

NASA

in 2017, an international team with scientists from the

National University of Australia

(ANU) and

NASA

recorded the outbreak of initial light seen when the first wave travels shock through the star before it explodes.

In this specialty, researchers are particularly interested in how the brightness of light changes over time before the explosion.

This event, known as the "shock cooling curve," provides clues as to what type of star caused the explosion.

"This is the first time that anyone has had such a detailed view of a complete shock cooling curve in any supernova," Armstrong of the ANU Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics said in a statement.

"Because the initial stage of a supernova occurs so quickly, it is very difficult for most telescopes to record this phenomenon. Until now, the data we had was incomplete and only included the attenuation of the shock cooling curve and the subsequent explosion, but never the burst of bright light at the beginning of the supernova. This important discovery will give us the data we need to identify other stars that became supernovae, even after they exploded. "

A yellow supergiant

The ANU researchers tested the new data against various existing star models.

Based on their model, the astronomers determined that the star that caused the supernova was likely a

yellow supergiant

, which was more than 100 times larger than our sun.

Astrophysicist and ANU researcher

Brad Tucker

said the international team was able to confirm that a particular model, known as

SW 17

, is the most accurate for predicting which types of stars cause different supernovae.

"We have shown that one model works better than the rest to identify different supernova stars and it is no longer necessary to test many other models, as has traditionally been the case," he said.

"Astronomers around the world will be able to use SW 17 and be confident that it is the best model for identifying stars that go supernova."

Supernovae are among the brightest and most powerful events we can see in space and are important because they are believed to be responsible for creating most of the elements found in our universe.

Clues to the origin of the universe

By better understanding how these stars become supernovae, researchers can gather information that provides clues to where the elements that make up our universe originate.

Although the Kepler telescope was discontinued in 2017, new space telescopes, such as NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Reconnaissance Satellite (TESS), are likely to capture more supernova explosions.

"As more space telescopes are launched, we are likely to observe more of these impact cooling curves," Armstrong said.

This will give us more opportunities to improve our models and develop our understanding of supernovae and where the elements that make up the world around us come from. "

Preprint is now available from the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

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