Astronomers have captured stunning photos of an exploding supernova more than 21 million light years away.
The aftermath of the enormous detonation was taken by Nasa’s Swift telescope, after three ground-base telescopes alerted the orbiting probe to the spectacular stellar activity.
The supernova, known as SN2011fe, was spotted 11 hours after its explosion in one of the outer arms of the Pinwheel galaxy, situated in the Great Bear constellation.
Published in the journal Nature, scientists believe the detonation was triggered when an inactive white dwarf began to “siphon material from a companion star. The extra mass triggers a thermonuclear explosion that blows the dwarf to smithereens.”
Scientists hope the pictures may offer further insight into the phenomenon of star death and the origins of the universe.
Speaking to The Guardian, Mark Sullivan from the University of Oxford, said: Understanding how these giant explosions create and mix materials is important because supernovae are where we get most of the elements the earth and even our own bodies.”
