10
Jun 11

Supernova SN1987A remnant lights up

Source: Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics


HST image of SN 1987A showing the brightening ring of supernova debris.
Image credit: Pete Challis (CfA).

In 1987, light from an exploding star in a neighboring galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud, reached Earth. Named Supernova 1987A, it was the closest supernova explosion witnessed in almost 400 years, allowing astronomers to study it in unprecedented detail as it evolves.

Last Wednesday a team of astronomers announced that the supernova debris, which has faded over the years, is brightening. This shows that a different power source has begun to light the debris, and marks the transition from a supernova to a supernova remnant. (read more)

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10
Jun 11

A gush of volcanic gas over Chile

Source: ESA


Image credit: Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB). Source: ESA Release.

ESA has released an image that shows the huge plume of sulphur dioxide that spewed from Chile’s Puyehue-Cordón Caulle Volcanic Complex, which lies in the Andes about 600 km south of Santiago. (read more)

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