A string of pearls was circling the supernova remnant that glows 6 trillion miles in diameter. The gas ring likely was shed some 20,000 years before the supernova exploded, and shock waves rushing out from the remnant have been brightening some 30 to 40 pearl-like "hot spots" in the ring -- objects that likely grow and merge together in the coming years to form a continous, glowing cricle.
Associate Kevin France of the Center for Astrophysics and Space Astronomy says, "The new observations not only tell us what elements are being recycled into the Large Magellanic Cloud, but how it changes its environment on human time scales."
The Supernovae (1987A) are responsible for a large fraction of biologically important elements, including oxygen, carbon and iron found in plants and animals on Earth today. The iron in a person's blood, for example, is believed to have been made by supernovae explosions.
France also added, "To see a supernova go off in our backyard and to watch its evolution and interactions with the environment in human time scales is unprecedented," he said. "The massive stars that produce explosions like Supernova 1987A are like rock stars -- they live fast, flashy lives and die young."
Source>>>
No comments:
Post a Comment