Never before has such a large amount of supernovae been discovered at the same time and in the same galaxy
A team of researchers from the Chalmers and Onsella Observatory discovered 7 new supernovae in one galaxy, 250 million light years away. Never before has such a large amount of supernovae been discovered at the same time and in the same galaxy.
The team photographed the galaxy, Arp220, from 5 different countries, in order to get a clear and sharp image of the objects. In their study of the images, the scientists discovered 40 primary sources emitting radio waves in the center of the galaxy. These sources are not visible in a normal telescope. By measuring them with filters of different wavelengths, the researchers discovered how the emissions of the objects and their remains change over the years.
According to researcher Fabian Badget, "After processing the information, we are now certain that all 7 final sources we located are supernovae".
He adds, "with the help of the data, we can confirm the explanation that in galaxies where the rate of star formation is fast, the rate of supernova explosions is also such." Although so many supernovae have never been observed in the same galaxy, the findings are consistent with the rapid rate of star formation in the Arp220 galaxy.
"In this galaxy we see many more supernovae than those in our galaxy. In our estimation, in Arp220, a star bursts every quarter, while in our galaxy, the Milky Way, a supernova eruption occurs approximately once every 100 years," says Badgett.
Among other things, the researchers used the European EVN telescope, and the VLBA telescope network, which are spread over several centers around the world.
