Giant Star Goes Supernova -- and is Smothered by its Own Dust
A giant star in a faraway galaxy recently ended its life with a dust-shrouded whimper instead of the more typical bang. Ohio State University researchers suspect that this odd event -- the first one of its kind ever viewed by astronomers - was more common early in the universe. It also hints at what we would see if the brightest star system in our galaxy became a supernova. In a paper published online in the Astrophysical Journal, Christopher Kochanek, a professor of astronomy at Ohio State, and his colleagues describe how the supernova appeared in late August 2007, as part of the Spitzer Space Telescope Deep Wide Field Survey. Read more
A giant star in a faraway galaxy recently ended its life with a dust-shrouded whimper instead of the more typical bang. Ohio State University researchers suspect that this odd event -- the first one of its kind ever viewed by astronomers - was more common early in the universe. It also hints at what we would see if the brightest star system in our galaxy became a supernova. Read more