A supernova breaks the luminosity record

2007/12/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Astronomia

Astronomers have inspected the brightest supernova recorded so far. It is named 2005ap and seems to have been born to break the rankings. Supernovae, massive explosions caused by the death of stars, are classified according to brightness. And that same supernova has eclipsed the luminosity of the galaxy that composes it, as well as the nearby galaxies.

The clarity of this phenomenon has been double that of the last record. The discovery was made at Caltech, the California Institute of Technology. According to the data obtained, the supernova 2005ap can be representative of a new class, since the point of maximum brightness after explosion and weakening have been faster than normal. In fact, with phenomena that can last weeks or months, the supernova 2005ap went out in a few days, which has reinforced the researchers' doubts.

A similar supernova would be necessary to solve doubts. Since there are no excuses of such strength, they cannot compare them with others. However, one of the hypotheses is the one that has taken the most strength to explain this phenomenon. According to Caltech researchers, before the explosion the star released the outer material, the explosion of the next star hit it and caused a greater flash than usual.