14 DAY TRIAL // A group of students at the University College London, in the UK, discovered a critically-important supernova explosions in the relatively-nearby starburst galaxy Messier 82 (M82). The reason this is exciting is because scientists now have a chance to study the phenomenon with modern equipment.
Located at around 11 million light-years from our planet, Messier 82 is the closest starburst galaxy to home. Amateur astronomers can see it in the constellation Ursa Major, near the ladle of the Big Dipper. The latest supernova blast it housed is the closest to have occurred in more than two decades.
The Type 1a supernova was identified at 19:20 UTC on Tuesday, January 21. UCL students led by expert Steve Fossey argue that this explosion was produced inside a binary system, where one of the members was a white dwarf that accumulated mass from its companion. At one point, the extra material destabilized the small star, which led to this explosion.
The fact that the light released by the supernova appeared reddened despite its parent galaxy being so close to our location tells astronomers that the binary system existed in an environment featuring extreme amounts of dust. Studies of this event are still ongoing, and new conclusions are expected soon, Space reports.