Astronomers have for the first time been able to see a supernova blow itself over and over again, leading to spectacular multiple images on the telescope. The development is crucial in understanding the nature of such spectacular happenings and also understanding mysteries such as the dark matter and the rate of universe expansion.
The scientists used the Hubble Space Telescope to make the observation and based their analysis on a trick of discovered by Albert Einstein.
According to experts, multiple images of a supernova are something that they had hoped to see because it hadn’t been captured before. Robert Kirshner of Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, a supernova expert, said they have been able to seen spectacular supernova scenes before, but the multiple images is a first occurrence.
Gravity bends light
The reason for multiple images of the supernova appeared on the telescope on earth was due to mass between the exploding star and the Hubble telescope. However, it was just one supernova appearing as four different objects because of light being bent by gravity.
Foundations of new world
Supernovas are rare occurrences in the universe and usually happen nearly once in a decade in a normal situation. The violent explosion of the supernovas causes them to outshine other galaxies while emitting particles that appear like gold and oxygen into the space. The emitted particles are believed to be the foundations of new worlds.
According to Dr. Patrick Kelly of the University of California, Berkeley, the latest supernova explosion is expected to reappear in another section of the universe after 10 years. By calculating the delay in the reappearance of the supernova, scientists are able to gain insight into the expansion of the universe and a lot of other mysteries including dark mass, which is said to be responsible for the gravitational activity of the universe
Kelly was the lead author of the report that described the spectacular supernova that was captured in November. The report was published in the journal known as Science.
Space lights candles for Einstein
The latest supernova phenomenon proves the observations of Einstein. He said that the impact of matter and energy on the space can be likened to that of a heavy body on a mattress that causes the mattress to sag. Because of the impact of matter and energy, gravity is produced and that can cause light rays to bend, which is what happened in the case of the spectacular supernova where four images appeared.