![]() Using dozens of both ground- and space-based telescopes, I’ve spent 17 years studying stars and their titanic explosions, says Milisavljevic. In fact, it wasn’t until the 1950s that Cas A was first observed in the optical spectrum by astronomers Walter Baade and Rudolph Minkowski.īut clearly, these latest optical images of Cas A are the best the world has ever seen. ![]() The supernova that created Cas A was likely not seen at the time, because as Milisavljevic explains, there is considerable obscuring dust between Earth and the exploding star. This analysis leads to a date around the year 1680, says Milisavljevic. Precise measurements of this motion can be used to trace the ballistic path back to where the explosion originally took place, he says. Using images of Cas A obtained over the decades since it was originally discovered, astronomers have been able to follow the remnant’s gas as it moves radially outwards, says Milisavljevic. As for when Cas A’s progenitor star or stars actually exploded? We also want to understand how much stellar debris is transformed into dust.īecause our data set is made up of hundreds of individual images that must be carefully combined and stitched together, data processing takes days, says Milisavljevic.Įven so, years of analysis is planned to constrain how dust and molecules were formed and destroyed by the supernova. These questions hinge on knowing precisely how much gas and dust is present today, especially near the center of the explosion. Our project seeks to understand how the original explosion occurred and determine what type of star was there, says Milisavljevic. Milisavljevic leads a team of some 50 international scientists awarded approximately 45 hours of Webb Telescope time. It’s thought that such mass loss data likely holds key information about the supernova’s progenitor star or stars. It's detailing mass loss from the star prior to its explosion, he notes. I'm also taken aback by the red/orange glow the surrounds the bright ring of stellar debris, he says. These formations were completely unexpected, and we have a "Dream Team" of experts coming up with theories to explain their origin, says Milisavljevic. * Such remnants are thought to be crucial in seeding new generations of stars and planets with biologically important elements like calcium and iron. MilisavljevicĮxquisite new mid-infrared Webb Space Telescope images of Cassiopeia A (Cas A) - our Milky Way Galaxy’s youngest known core collapse supernova remnant - may finally enable astronomers to understand this colorful agglomeration of dust and debris. The data comes from the general observer program 1947. This image combines various filters with the colour red assigned to 25.5 microns (F2550W), orange-red to 21 microns (F2100W), orange to 18 microns (F1800W), yellow to 12.8 microns (F1280W), green to 11.3 microns (F1130W), cyan to 10 microns (F1000W), light blue to 7.7 microns (F770W), and blue to 5.6 microns (F560W). Its shape and complexity are unexpected and challenging for scientists to understand. A loop represented in green extends across the right side of the central cavity. The stellar material can also be seen as fainter wisps near the cavity’s interior. This represents material from the star itself, and likely shines due to a mix of various heavy elements and dust emission. Interior to this outer shell lie mottled filaments of bright pink studded with clumps and knots. This marks where ejected material from the exploded star is ramming into surrounding circumstellar material. On the remnant’s exterior, particularly at the top and left, lie curtains of material appearing orange and red due to emission from warm dust. This new image uses data from Webb’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) to reveal Cas A in a new light. Cassiopeia A (Cas A) is a supernova remnant located about 11,000 light-years from Earth in the.
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