02-20-2018, 05:04 PM
Most distant supernova ever detected
One of the most intriguing astronomical discoveries in the last decade or so has been that the expansion of the universe appears to be accelerating. This was completely unexpected and is still not fully understood, with scientists invoking some form of "dark energy" that's behind this. This acceleration was discovered by observing distant supernovae, i.e., exploding stars, which act as "standard candles". In other words, supernovae are well understood and we know how bright they are, so they can be used to measure distances.
Recently, with the help of the Keck Observatory on Mauna Kea, the most distant supernova ever detected was discovered. This will help in understanding the early universe and provides us with more information on the expansion of the universe.
https://phys.org/news/2018-02-astronomer...rnova.html
"The exploding star, named DES16C2nm, was detected by the Dark Energy Survey (DES), an international collaboration to map several hundred million galaxies in order to find out more about dark energy – the mysterious force believed to be causing the accelerated expansion of the Universe.
As detailed in a new study published in the Astrophysical Journal, light from the event has taken 10.5 billion years to reach Earth, making it the oldest supernova ever discovered and studied. The Universe itself is thought to be 13.8 billion years old."
One of the most intriguing astronomical discoveries in the last decade or so has been that the expansion of the universe appears to be accelerating. This was completely unexpected and is still not fully understood, with scientists invoking some form of "dark energy" that's behind this. This acceleration was discovered by observing distant supernovae, i.e., exploding stars, which act as "standard candles". In other words, supernovae are well understood and we know how bright they are, so they can be used to measure distances.
Recently, with the help of the Keck Observatory on Mauna Kea, the most distant supernova ever detected was discovered. This will help in understanding the early universe and provides us with more information on the expansion of the universe.
https://phys.org/news/2018-02-astronomer...rnova.html
"The exploding star, named DES16C2nm, was detected by the Dark Energy Survey (DES), an international collaboration to map several hundred million galaxies in order to find out more about dark energy – the mysterious force believed to be causing the accelerated expansion of the Universe.
As detailed in a new study published in the Astrophysical Journal, light from the event has taken 10.5 billion years to reach Earth, making it the oldest supernova ever discovered and studied. The Universe itself is thought to be 13.8 billion years old."