Astronomers noticed the farthest supernova ever found. T. Mingus is 10 billion light-years away. Scientists hope the dying star will shed more light on the concept of dark matter responsible for the expansion of the universe, the BBC writes.
Initially the supernova is known as SN SCP-0401. It was noticed quite accidentally back in 2004 during a study conducted partly by the cosmological "Supernovas" project with the help of the Hubble Space Telescope. The information gathered at that time, however, was not enough to help scientists understand what they were seeing. "How bright is this supernova? Imagine watching a 4,800-kilometer firefly and seeing what I mean, "said David Rubin of the University of California, head of the study.
When astronauts install Hubble's WFC 3 in 2009, the view of the supernova improves, and scientists call it jazzman Charles Mingus (the cosmological "Supernovas" traditionally named the dying stars of various composers).
"Unfortunately, we needed the wide-angle optical camera 3 to find out exactly what the calculations we made in 2004," adds Mr. Rubin. The sensitivity is several times better. The difference is huge and the image is much clearer. "
The team has confirmed that this is supernova Type 1a - among scientists they are known as the "standard candle", as unlike the others, they are seen in all kinds of galaxies, even elliptical.
These light shows have been seen since ancient times. Today, however, modern astronomers use the details of their light to learn more about the secrets of the universe. What will we learn from Mingus?