Clemson University — No core-collapse supernova has ever been seen at the time of the explosion until now.
Ginger Bryngelson, a Clemson University physics and astronomy graduate student is part of the team that observed and compiled data on supernova SN2008D in a galaxy 90,000 light years away from Earth. Usually not seen until one to three weeks after an explosion, this supernova was captured immediately by the Swift X-ray Telescope as the star exploded and emitted a bright outburst of X-rays.
Bryngelson’s and the group’s observations and research on the birth of the supernova is featured in last Thursday’s issue of Nature in an article titled: “An extremely luminous X-ray outburst at the birth of a supernova.”
The unprecedented observation has the potential to alter the way scientists view exploding stars. Until now a supernova’s first moments have been shrouded in mystery.
“Seeing a core-collapse supernova this early on is unprecedented,” said Bryngelson. “Core-collapse supernovae are stars that are so massive they explode because they can’t support their own weight. Not a lot is known about the early explosions. My part in this research was to look at how quickly the light in the optical energy bands diminished after the explosion. And from that we can determine what physical and chemical processes are occurring.”
A long list of researchers from across the world contributed to this study. They include researchers from Princeton University, Max-Planck Institute in Germany, the University of Chicago, the University of California-Berkley and the University of Texas at Austin, among others. Bryngleson collaborated with Peter Milne of the University of Arizona using data obtained with the Super-LOTIS Telescope. Clemson astrophysicist Mark Leising is Bryngelson’s adviser.
via Clemson
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