Technology news and Jobs arrow Science arrow Brahe’s 1572 supernova changed astronomy: Now it's explained!
Brahe’s 1572 supernova changed astronomy: Now it's explained! E-mail
by William Atkins   
Friday, 05 December 2008


Nature News stated, “When the star burst, it radiated light in all directions. Brahe and others at the time saw the light that came directly towards our planet, but light travelling in other directions is often reflected off clouds of interstellar dust. Because light travels at a finite speed, dust clouds hundreds of light years away from the supernova's origin create an "echo" that can still be seen on Earth today.”

The observation by these astronomers helped to confirm that this supernova is indeed of a type Ia.

That is, any supernova that is created by the explosion of a small, dense star, what is called a white dwarf star.

Because the star exploded within the Milky Way galaxy, its remnant is helping astronomers learn more about supernovae explosions.

Because such type Ia supernovae have been found to be further away than previously thought, astronomers now contend that such objects may help them learn more about dark energy.

Because of its importance to Brahe's world and to our present world, Dr. Krause calls the 1572 event “… a milestone in the history of science.” [BBC News]

He added, "It ultimately led to the abandonment of the notion of the immutability of the heavens.”

Page four continues with information from the abstract of the Krause-led paper.



 
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