March 22, 2016
For the first time ever, astronomers have been able to observe an amazing shockwave emitted from a supernova.
The star in question, a red supergiant more than 270 times the size of the sun, morphs in dramatic fashion from an orange ball into an enormous white sphere.
The process is due to the star running out of fuel and then subsequently bursting outward after collapsing in on itself.
Spotting this relatively brief transition taking place was incredibly difficult, but astronomers credit the Kepler telescope for being able to make such a discovery possible, since it allows for more timely observations than traditional methods.
Coupled with the landmark gravitation wave observations announced last month, one wonder why the aliens are still so hard to find.
Source: Discovery News
For the first time ever, astronomers have been able to observe an amazing shockwave emitted from a supernova.
The star in question, a red supergiant more than 270 times the size of the sun, morphs in dramatic fashion from an orange ball into an enormous white sphere.
The process is due to the star running out of fuel and then subsequently bursting outward after collapsing in on itself.
Spotting this relatively brief transition taking place was incredibly difficult, but astronomers credit the Kepler telescope for being able to make such a discovery possible, since it allows for more timely observations than traditional methods.
Coupled with the landmark gravitation wave observations announced last month, one wonder why the aliens are still so hard to find.
Source: Discovery News