Thursday, February 28, 2013

DISCOVERY OF MOST RECENT SUPERNOVA IN OUR GALAXY


Briana Nardone February 14, 2013  
Earth Science, C even, Mrs. Davis 
DISCOVERY OF MOST RECENT SUPERNOVA IN OUR GALAXY
"Discovery Of Most Recent Supernova In Our Galaxy." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 14 May 2008. Web. 14 Feb. 2013. <http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080514131118.htm>.
May 14, 2008, a supernova in are Galaxy was discovered by using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and NRAO’s Arry (VLA). With this we can discover the supernovas by tracking the expansion on there remains.  This will also help in the future by understanding how often supernova’s explode in the Milky Way galaxy. This particular supernova exploded 140 years ago. So it is considered the most recent supernova in the Milky Way as measured in the Earths period. The last known supernova was in 1680 based on the remains of its Cassiopeia A. “We can see some supernova explosions with optical telescope across half the universe” said Stephen Reynolds. “Fortunately, the expanding gas cloud from the explosion shines brightly in radio waves and X-rays for thousands of years. X-rays and radio telescopes can see through all that obscuration and show us what we’ve been missing.”  Astronomers also observe supernovas in other galaxies like our, based on the data they receive, about three supernovas should explode every century in our Milky Way. Unforunently these estimates have many errors. “If this information was true we should have had remnants of about ten supernova explosions that are younger then Cassiopeia A.” Astronomers began tracking this source in 1985 when they used the VLA to identify remains of the explosion near the center of our galaxy. Considering the small size of it, it was estimated to have exploded about 400 to 1000 years ago. Twenty-two years later observations revealed that the explosion remnant expanded by surprisingly large amount of 16% since 1985. With this new information the supernova is younger then thought. With radio observations from VLA the remains were from about 140 years ago, making it the youngest supernova on record in the Milky Way. This is a vital step to be able to estimate the supernova rate in are Galaxy. This is important because supernovas heat and redistribute large amount of gas, pump large amounts of heavy elements out into their surroundings, and can trigger formation of new stars. Closing the cycle of stellar death and rebirth. This explosion can also cause a central neutron star or a black hole. This article concludes with astronomers stating it is important to study and keep learning about stars exploding and what happens after. This research also can help scientist find out witch environments they explode in. Also this could conclude that thousand of light years away from the center of are galaxy, there is a dense environment near the Milky Ways massive black hole. 
This article states many important facts and observations that astronomers discovered, these facts are important in the expansion of are knowledge of outside are solar system. With this new information we now can look for supernovas and have a better idea of what they will do in the future after they explode. Also we will be able to have a greater understanding of supernovas to find out what is the rate of there explosions. Also what kind of environments they explode in so we will be able to watch out for them in the future. I chose this article because I did not originally know what a supernova was. Also the interesting title stating it is the most recent in are Galaxy made me want to learn more about them. A supernova is a star that suddenly increases greatly in brightness because of a catastrophic explosion that ejects most of its mass.
Over all this was a good article because was very interesting to hear about what is happening in space and that scientists can predict future events. What I didn't like was when the scientist made reference to equipment such as the NARIO’s ARI, but didn't really tell us what that is. Mostly, it was fun to learn what a supernova was and how it can affect our Galaxy. In conclusion, I enjoyed reading the article because it got its point across and explained to the reader why learning about a supernova is important for further research to continue on are Galaxy. 

2 comments:

  1. Briana, I thought that you report was really interesting and something new that I never knew or heard of. I was really interested to learn that Cassiopeia A is a supernova, and that there should be a lot more supernovas in our universe. I was impressed to learn that astronomers could view and study different supernovas in other galaxies. I also learned that supernovas could be discovered by following the remains from their original explosion. Learning that a supernova that occurred between 400 and 1000 years ago has increased in size by 16%, was fascinating to learn about. I enjoyed learning how vital it is to study and track these supernova explosions, because I never would think that one could occur near Earth, also it could potentially cause a neutron star or a black hole. Overall, i thought that your article and your response was really good, i wish maybe it mentioned other supernovas names and when they occurred rather than just one or two, but otherwise it was really interesting.

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  2. This article was well presented by Briana. You were very informative about the supernova. Briana presented the necessity of knowing about supernovas very well. Also, you were very instructive about what supernovas are, and what they can cause. Lastly, you informed people about how many new and different things are being discovered about in the solar system. I found it interesting that supernovas can heat up and redistribute big amounts of gas and pump large amounts of heavy elements out into their surroundings, which can trigger formation of new stars. I now know that we can find the supernovas by tracking how far the remains travel. Lastly, I found out how the discovery of supernova can help science because we can look for new supernovas and have a clearer description of what they will do in the future after they explode. I also thought your opinion on the article, about the references to equipment that was unexplained, was very good and true. Lastly, I like how you included specific numbers. Although, this review could have been better if you explained who Stephan Reynolds was, and pertain to the topic of the most recent supernovas in our galaxies, instead of overall supernovas.

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