30 JUNE 2021
Way back in 1054 CE, a supernova stellar explosion lit up the skies with enough brightness that it could be seen from from Earth during the daytime, for 23 days straight.
Its remnants still exist today as the Crab Nebula, and new research gives us our best idea yet of exactly what happened to cause such a phenomenon.
Based on an analysis of a more recent supernova labeled SN 2018zd, astronomers think both SN 2018zd and the 1054 CE supernova are electron-capture supernovae – a rare third type of supernova alongside type I (thermonuclear) and type II (core collapse).
Experts have hypothesized about this third type of exploding star for decades at this point, though actual physical evidence of electron-capture supernovae has been difficult to come by. The unusual characteristics of SN 2018zd – a mere 31 million light-years away – may be the first one we ve actually properly identified.
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