March 29, 2023

Rare supernova could help us understand the Milky Way’s ancient halo

Rare supernova could help us understand the Milky Way’s ancient halo
Rare supernova could help us understand the Milky Way’s ancient haloRare supernova could help us understand the Milky Way’s ancient halo
supernova remnant

Artwork of a supernova remnant

MARK GARLICK/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/Alamy

The remains of a supernova – an exploded star – in an unusual location could help us examine the oldest part of our galaxy.

Eugene Churazov at the Space Research Institute in Moscow, Russia, and his colleagues analysed data from an all-sky survey done with the eROSITA X-ray telescope aboard the Spektr-RG space observatory. The researchers discovered a large, circular object almost 10,000 light years away.

They say its shape suggests it is a supernova remnant, but it doesn’t look like an ordinary one. It appears …