Dark Energy Camera Captures Ghostly Remains of First Supernova Discovered by Chinese Astronomers in 185 AD

Astronomers shared a new photo of the first-ever recorded supernova that was once described as a "guest star."

First Supernova Remains Captured by Dark Energy Camera

Dark Energy Camera (DECam) mounted on the Víctor M. Blanco Telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, part of the National Science Foundation, captured the remains of the supernova, SN 185. It was initially discovered in 185 AD by Chinese astronomers, who described it as a "guest star" because it appeared like a new bright light in the night sky.

Although it was the first recorded supernova, only a ring of debris called RCW 86 is left. The historical supernova occurred over 8000 light-years away in the direction of Alpha Centauri between constellations Circinus and Centaurus.

According to scientists, it sheds light on how the remains of the supernova evolved over the past 1,800 years.

DECam's excellent wide-field vision enabled astronomers to create the rare view of the entire supernova remnant, the team said in a statement. The link between RW 86 and SN 185 is already well established. However, it took about 10,000 years for the traditional core-collapse supernova to form the structure seen today, which makes it far older than the supernova observed in the year 185.

A 2006 study discovered the large size was due to its extremely high expansion velocity. The new estimate aligns with a comparatively young age of about 2,000 years, strengthening the link between the two. However, they still wondered why RCW 86 expanded so fast.

Why RCW 86 Expanded So Fast?

According to NOIR Lab, an X-ray date of the region revealed that it was rich in iron, a sign of a different kind of explosion - a Type Ia supernova, which occurs in a binary star system when a dense white dwarf siphons material from its companion star to the point of detonation.

These types of supernovae are the brightest, which was the case with SN 185, as it showed brightly in the night sky even if only remnants of it were discovered.

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According to astronomers, a white dwarf of the binary system swallowed the material of its companion star and its high-velocity winds pushed the surrounding gas and dust outward, resulting in the cavity seen today.

When the white dwarf could no longer support the mass falling onto it from the companion star, it sparked a violent explosion, forming a cavity, which also led to the expansion of its high-velocity stellar remnants.

The new image of RCW 86 gave astronomers a deeper look into the physics of the perplexing structure and its formation.

What Are Supernovae?

According to a previous report from Science Times, a supernova stars from a star. Stars are similar to living beings and the light source in the dark universe.

When a star dies, its remains become a new being. It can become a black hole where an enormous amount of mass is packed into a tiny volume, creating a gravitation pull that's so strong not even light can escape.

It can also become a super-dense white dwarf with supergravity or binary companion sucking matter from its companion star and when it reaches the threshold, it will result in a loud bang, called a supernova.

Supernovae are among the most immense particle accelerators because their force will bounce particles off galactic plasma and accelerate them into a magnetized zone. They are also like time machines because they travel through time, even thousands of years after their explosion. Astronomers can see cosmic light from other times, older than the Earth itself.