Supernova archaeology: Finding clues in the ruins of an ancient dead star with Chandra
- In 2005, astronomers used NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory to observe the GRO J1655-40 system, a binary system containing a black hole and a star, and found it to be particularly bright in X-rays.
- The more massive of the two original stars in the GRO J1655-40 system burned through its nuclear fuel and exploded in a supernova more than a million years ago, leaving behind a black hole with nearly seven times the mass of the Sun and expelling outer layers.
- A team of astronomers analyzed the Chandra data using a technique called "supernova archaeology," comparing the X-ray spectra with computer models to reconstruct key physical characteristics of the exploded star.
- The team, including Noa Keshet, Ehud Behar, and Timothy Kallman, determined that the long-gone star was about 25 times the mass of the Sun and much richer in elements heavier than helium, based on the amounts of 18 different elements detected in the X-ray light.
- Published in The Astrophysical Journal in May 2024, the study titled "Supernova Archaeology with X-Ray Binary Winds: The Case of GRO J1655-40" paves the way for future supernova archaeology studies using other double star systems, offering insights into stellar evolution and black hole formation.
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Supernova archaeology: Finding clues in the ruins of an ancient dead star with Chandra
People often think about archaeology happening deep in jungles or inside ancient pyramids. However, a team of astronomers has shown that they can use stars and the remains they leave behind to conduct a special kind of archaeology in space.
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