JWST spies hints of a neutron star left behind by supernova 1987A
Signs of highly ionized atoms in dusty clouds at SN 1987A’s explosion site suggest a powerful source of X-rays — likely a neutron star — lurks within.
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Signs of highly ionized atoms in dusty clouds at SN 1987A’s explosion site suggest a powerful source of X-rays — likely a neutron star — lurks within.
Scientists have finally identified the progeny of that supernova - an enormously dense object called a neutron star. Two instruments on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) that observed the supernova at infrared wavelengths spotted telltale chemical evidence involving argon and sulfur atoms indicating that a newborn neutron star is shrouded behind the debris left over from the blast, researchers said on Thursday. Such explosions can forge two different kinds of exotic compact objects: a black hole or a neutron star.
What lies at the heart of supernova SN 1987A has been a mystery for four decades. Now, Dr Patrick Kavanagh and a team of astronomers have found an answer.
The James Webb Space Telescope has solved the mystery of what one of the brightest supernovae in history left behind.
What lies at the heart of supernova SN 1987A has been a mystery for four decades. Now, Dr Patrick Kavanagh and a team of astronomers have found an answer.…