SN 2023ixf is a new Type II supernova discovered in May 2023
A star located a staggering 20 million light-years away from Earth has been observed shedding an entire solar mass of material just before undergoing a mesmerizing supernova explosion, Interesting Engineering reports.
This rare event, known as a Type II supernova, has left astronomers and astrophysicists in awe, as it provides a unique opportunity to unravel the mysteries of these enigmatic stellar phenomena.
A Celestial Wonder
The star in question, named SN 2023ixf, was discovered in May 2023 by an amateur astronomer, Kōichi Itagaki, hailing from Yamagata, Japan.
Situated within the spiral Pinwheel Galaxy, this Type II supernova has captivated the night sky with its luminosity, and its proximity to our galaxy, combined with its young age, has turned it into a treasure trove of astronomical data.
Type II supernovae, like SN 2023ixf, occur when massive stars, at least eight times the mass of our Sun, implode under the weight of their gravity, leading to a cataclysmic explosion.
While this celestial event falls within the Type II categorization, it defies convention in one significant way: the extreme mass loss that occurred in the year preceding the supernova.
Astronomers from the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian (CfA) swiftly turned their gaze toward SN 2023ixf, conducting multi-wavelength observations using an array of advanced observatories, including the Tillinghast Telescope, the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory, and NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory.
These observations offered a tantalizing contradiction to established principles of stellar evolution.
A Unique Supernova
Normally, when a star undergoes a supernova, a flash of light occurs as the shockwave from the explosion reaches the star's outer edge. In the case of SN 2023ixf, this light curve did not follow the expected pattern, leaving astronomers bewildered.
Daichi Hiramatsu, a CfA postdoctoral fellow, remarked, "The delayed shock breakout is direct evidence for the presence of dense material from recent mass loss.
"Our new observations revealed a significant and unexpected amount of mass loss-close to the mass of the Sun-in the final year prior to the explosion," Hiramatsu added.
The implications of this unprecedented mass loss are profound. It challenges our knowledge of the evolution of massive stars and the events leading up to their dramatic demise.
The newfound data, published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, hints at potential instability during a star's final years, resulting in an extreme loss of mass.
This peculiar phenomenon could be linked to the last stages of nuclear burn-off of high-mass elements, such as silicon, within the star's core.
A Closer Look
To further decode the secrets hidden within SN 2023ixf, Edo Berger, an astronomy professor, conducted millimeter-wave observations using CfA's Submillimeter Array (SMA) atop Maunakea, Hawai'i.
These observations meticulously tracked the collision between the supernova debris and the dense material lost before the explosion.
Berger explains, "SN 2023ixf exploded exactly at the right time. Only a few days earlier, we commenced a new ambitious three-year program to study supernova explosions with the SMA, and this nearby exciting supernova was our first target."
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