A star whose life ended in a cataclysmic explosion has been recorded by the recently installed National Astronomical Observatory in Nadur, Gozo.
Prof Joseph Caruana (Department of Physics and Institute of Space Sciences and Astronomy of the University of Malta), explained that the star lies in the so-called ‘Pinwheel Galaxy’ (M101) which lies around 21 million light years away.
This means that the event actually happened 21 million years ago, the light of the explosion having travelled across the universe since that time until it finally reached us.
The event in question is known as a Type II supernova. This occurs when a massive star – several times more massive than our sun – is unable to sustain nuclear fusion any further, thus undergoing a rapid collapse that ends with a catastrophic explosion.
The supernova, dubbed SN 2023ixf, was reported on the 19th of May, by Koichi Itagaki. A notification system that is in place means that astronomers around the world can quickly learn about such events so that they may follow up with further observations.
Prof Joseph Caruana, who recorded the image from the observatory in Gozo, commented that there are two main categories of supernova. “The specific type of supernova can be deduced by taking a spectrum, which is like a fingerprint of sorts for the object.”
He added that “astronomers around the world – both professional and amateur – will be turning their telescopes to this object over the coming days. Observations of such events often involve collaboration between professional and amateur astronomers.”
“Yesterday, some among the amateur astronomy community in Malta – the Astronomical Society of Malta – were already discussing this object with us,” said Caruana, remarking that it was quite exciting to witness such an event just a few days after the observatory in Gozo had started operating.
Prof Caruana concluded by saying that, “when you look at the image, the supernova looks just like a tiny dot among many others. But that tiny dot represents an extremely violent event whose light has travelled an immense distance. It really gives you pause.”