You have free access to all the articles of the Observer for being our subscriber.
–
Images released by NASA from the James Webb Space Telescope have changed the way we look at the Universe. Now, it may have been surprising to detect what scientists believe is a supernova.
“We suspect it is a supernova,” confessed astronomer Mike Engesser of the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI), to Inverse magazine. The observed supernova potential is, according to astronomers, extremely bright compared to the rest of the galaxy called SDSS.J141930.11+5251593.
New image from Webb telescope shows ‘ghost galaxy’ in detail
The galaxy, which is between three and four billion light-years away, has been observed twice five days apart. The observed phenomenon dimmed only slightly on those days, which is considered classic behavior for a supernova that, according to the website Spacewas captured by luck after the star burst.
“We need more data (…) to make a determinationbut the data we have corresponds to a supernova, so it’s a very good candidate,” said Mike Engesser.
