Scientists have made a groundbreaking discovery within the remnants of supernova 1987A, the most famous stellar explosion in modern history. They have found compelling evidence for a long-sought neutron star, providing a unique opportunity to study supernovas. Astronomer Patrick Kavanagh described it as “the gift that keeps on giving,” with new observations continually yielding new discoveries. The supernova, which occurred in the Large Magellanic Cloud, was visible with the naked eye for months afterward and generated tremendous amounts of neutrinos, a handful of which ended up in detectors on Earth. Since then, scientists have been trying to determine whether the remnants of the star collapsed into an ultradense neutron star or shrank all the way down to a black hole. The thick haze of dust created by the star’s outer layers traveling away from the explosion has made it challenging to spot the remnants.
2024-02-22 14:00:00
Article from www.sciencenews.org