Scientists Observe
Supernova Explosion , That Pushed Particles , to Cosmic Speed Limit.
Scientists have observed a burned-out stellar
core produce a shockwave that propelled particles
at the boundary of their theoretical speed limit. .
Space.com reports that astronomers utilized the
gamma-ray observatory in Namibia called the High
Energy Stereoscopic System, otherwise known as HESS. .
Observations were based on
a two-star system known as Ophiuchi.
The binary system consists
of a white dwarf paired
with a red giant. .
The white dwarf is the stellar remains
of a dead star that is roughly the size of Earth. .
The red giant is
a dying star that
long ago resembled
our own sun. .
The white dwarf draws matter off
of the red giant until it has absorbed enough
to generate a massive supernova explosion. .
When the nova exploded in August 2021,
the HESS telescopes allowed us to observe
a galactic explosion in very-high-energy
gamma rays for the first time, Alison Mitchell, principal investigator and researcher at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, via Space.com.
Particles from the latest supernova
explosion reached the maximum speed
predicted in theoretical models. .
The observation that the theoretical
limit for particle acceleration can actually
be reached in genuine cosmic shock waves
has enormous implications for astrophysics, Ruslan Konno, study co-author and a doctoral candidate
at Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron, via Space.com.
It suggests that the acceleration process
could be just as efficient in their much
more extreme relatives, supernovas, Ruslan Konno, study co-author and a doctoral candidate
at Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron, via Space.com.
It suggests that the acceleration process
could be just as efficient in their much
more extreme relatives, supernovas, Ruslan Konno, study co-author and a doctoral candidate
at Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron, via Space.com