The region around SN1987a as seen by Herschel and NASA’s Spitzer space telescope. The purple material is cold, diffuse dust seen by the SPIRE instrument onboard Herschel, while the green and blue are warmer dust and stars seen at shorter infrared wavelengths by Spitzer. The supernova itself is seen as the point in the centre of the circle. (NASA)
ESA's Herschel Space Observatory is helping unravel the mystery of the origin of cosmic dust. Thanks to the resolution and sensitivity of Herschel, astronomers have been able to detect cosmic dust from a supernova, adding weight to the theory that these cosmic fireworks are responsible for its creation. The origin of the dust is important because it plays a crucial role in the formation of stars, particularly billions of years ago when star formation was at its peak. Galaxies like our own Milky Way are not simply collections of stars, but also contain clouds of gas and dust, crucial to the formation of new stars. 'Interestingly, this brand new clue does not come from observations of very distant galaxies, but from one of our closest galactic neighbours,' comments Mikako Matsuura from UCL Physics & Astronomy, who led a recent study published in Science Express. Supernovae in our Galaxy are very rare, but 24 years ago astronomers were treated to one in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a small galaxy about 160,000 light years away. On 23rd February 1987 the aging star could no longer support its own weight and collapsed in a violent supernova.
TO READ THIS ARTICLE, CREATE YOUR ACCOUNT
And extend your reading, free of charge and with no commitment.
