A stellar structure known as the ‘Hand of God’ is a nebula of energy and particles blown by a pulsar left behind after a star exploded in our Milky Way Galaxy. Otherwise known as MSH 15-52 or G320.4-1.2, the object is located some 17,000 light-years away in the constellation of Circinus. Astronomers estimate that light from the supernova explosion reached Earth about 1,700 years ago, or when the Mayan empire was flourishing and the Jin dynasty ruled China. Previously, astronomers had released a full view of the structure. In a paper in the Astrophysical Journal Letters, they report how quickly the supernova remnant associated with the hand is moving, as it strikes a cloud of gas called RCW 89; the inner edge of this cloud forms a gas wall located about 35 light-years from the center of the explosion.
Source: Sci News
In the new study, Dr. Kazimierz Borkowski and his colleagues from North Carolina State University used the data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory from 2004 and 2008, and then a combined image from observations taken in late 2017 and early 2018.
“The rectangle highlights the motion of the explosion’s blast wave, which is located near one of the fingertips. This feature is moving at almost 14.5 million km per hour (9 million mph),” the astronomers explained.
“The fixed squares enclose clumps of magnesium and neon that likely formed in the star before it exploded and shot into space once the star blew up.”
“Some of this explosion debris is moving at even faster speeds of more than 17.7 million km per hour (11 million mph).”
“The 2018 image shows the fingers in blue and green and the clumps of magnesium and neon in red and yellow.”
While these are startling high speeds, they actually represent a slowing down of the supernova remnant.
The researchers estimate that to reach the farthest edge of RCW 89, material would have to travel on average at almost 48.3 million km per hour (30 million mph).
This estimate is based on the age of the supernova remnant and the distance between the center of the explosion and RCW 89.
This difference in speed implies that the material has passed through a low-density cavity of gas and then been significantly decelerated by running into RCW 89.
“The exploded star likely lost part or all of its outer layer of hydrogen gas in a wind, forming such a cavity, before exploding, as did the star that exploded to form the well-known supernova remnant Cassiopeia A, which is much younger at an age of about 350 years,” the scientists said.
“About 30% of massive stars that collapse to form supernovas are of this type.”
“The clumps of debris seen in the 1,700-year-old supernova remnant could be older versions of those seen in Cassiopeia A at optical wavelengths in terms of their initial speeds and densities.”
“This means that these two objects may have the same underlying source for their explosions, which is likely related to how stars with stripped hydrogen layers explode.”
“However, we do not understand the details of this yet and will continue to study this possibility.”
Source: Sci News
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