New Delhi: In 2013, an amateur astronomer discovered the remains of a supernova first recorded in 1181 by Chinese and Japanese astronomers. The nebula, designated as Pa 30 was not well-studied for a few years after the re-discovery, but interest picked up in 2023 after strange filaments were observed in the remnant, reminiscent of the tendrils of a dandelion, which for some reason are called ‘beaks’. The Keck Observatory in Hawaii was used to map the filaments in three dimensions, and tracing the speed at which the streaks of dust and gas are moving. The Dandelion Supernova essentially resembles an unimaginably slow fireworks display.
Scientists have understood more about the unusual series of events that led to the formation of the Dandelion Supernova. In 1181, the still burning core of a star that had previously died in a violent supernova explosion, a white dwarf triggered a thermonuclear explosion. Typically, such events entirely destroy the white dwarf, but this particular white dwarf survived, resulting in what is called a zombie star. This material makes up the nebula that we can observe today. The measurements indicated that the material is moving at about 1,000 kilometres per second.
A large cavity within the structure
The mapping of the Dandelion Supernova revealed a large cavity within the nebula, in addition to some evidence indicating that the 1811 explosion was asymmetric. A paper describing the findings has been published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. The researchers do have some idea now of the processes that could have resulted in the formation of the tendrils, but there are some ideas. Lead author of the paper, Tim Cunningham says, “A reverse shock wave may be condensing surrounding dust into filaments, but we don’t know yet.” Despite being ignored by the scientific community for a few years after its rediscovery, follow up observations will now be conducted to better understand this unique supernova remnant.
