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Yahoo!Westmont’s Keck Telescope has helped confirm this week that an unusually bright ball of light spotted by researchers with Puckett Observatory Supernova Search was, in fact, a supernova that has been named Supernova 2008an. The above image is the result of work by Westmont physics professor Michael Sommermann.
Westmont College
A large-scale image of space, taken by Westmont's Keck Telescope. The upper-right luminous body is a supernova.
According to a press release from Westmont spokesman Scott Craig, the supernova (demarcated in the above image with an arrow) is near a galaxy (the larger, fuzzy body near center of the above image) that exists approximately 400 million light years away from Earth. Given that galaxies usually contain around 100 billion stellar bodies, the fact that the supernova appears as brightly as it does means that it “shines with the power of several billion stars.”
“Supernova” is the term for the explosion of a star, which releases a tremendous amount of light energy that would seem to be a new luminous body in space. They last between several weeks to several months and are triggered by nuclear fusion — either as a result of aging star’s core collapsing or a star’s core temperature to the point of explosion.
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Wow wow wow.
martha (Martha Sadler)
March 7, 2008 at 9:12 a.m. (Suggest removal)
The explosion of 2008an and the awesome photographic display which is brought to us, due to the dedicated effort of physicist Michael Sommermann is due for 1000 thanks. These mighty supernatural events takes place regularly due to some unseen power which controls the same. This mystifying action must have continued for a week or may be continuing yet after which it will transformed into a black hole, which doesn`t permit any one to vacant their seats until it many days after permits them to do so and die out. But yet something leaks; for how could we have been able to disclose their presence ?
Snmohapatra (anonymous profile)
March 10, 2008 at 9:38 a.m. (Suggest removal)
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