Tag: cosmic explosions
-
NASA Watches Kepler’s Supernova Remnant Expand Across Two Decades and Beyond
Introduction: A 400-Year-Old Fireball Still Expands In 1604, astronomers watched what appeared to be a new star blaze across the night sky. Johannes Kepler documented the bright “nova” in a way that still informs modern astronomy. Today, NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory is used to study the Kepler supernova remnant (SNR) as it expands, cools, and…
-
NASA Watches Kepler’s 1604 Supernova Unfold Over 25 Years Through Chandra’s Eyes
Unveiling a 400-Year-Old Cosmic Event When Johannes Kepler first observed a bright point in the night sky in 1604, the eruption was celebrated as the last naked-eye supernova recorded in our Milky Way. Fast forward to today, and NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory is providing a fresh, high-energy view of that historic explosion. Over more than…
-
Strange 7-Hour Cosmic Firework: Unprecedented Gamma-Ray Burst Stuns Space Scientists
Overview: An Unusual Seven-Hour Burst On July 2, 2025, astronomers witnessed something that defies typical gamma-ray burst (GRB) patterns. GRBs are the universe’s most energetic explosions since the Big Bang, usually flashing for milliseconds to minutes before fading. The event detected by NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, however, persisted in a way that no known…
-
First-Ever View of a Supernova Shockwave Breaking Through a Dying Star
What a Shock Breakout Reveals About Stellar Death In a milestone for astrophysics, researchers have witnessed the moment a supernova shockwave breaks through the surface of a doomed star. This rare event, known as a shock breakout, offers a direct glimpse into the final moments of a massive star and the chaotic physics that drive…
-
An Anti-Social Cosmic Explosion: Rethinking Dying Stars and Supernovas
What makes this explosion anti-social? A recent investigation into a spectacular cosmic explosion has raised fresh questions about how dying massive stars release energy and interact with their surroundings. The event, described by researchers as “anti-social” in the sense that its aftermath behaved differently than expected, calls into question long-standing ideas about how ejected debris…
-
Anti-Social Cosmic Explosion: Rethinking How Dying Stars Shape Their Surroundings
Unraveling a Cosmic Enigma A recent investigation into a violent stellar death—an explosion that would typically light up its surroundings—has challenged long-held assumptions about the relationship between ejected debris and the total energy released. The event, described by researchers as unusually isolated or “anti-social,” shows that a massive star can end its life in a…