Image of the Day: 28/9/14

(Photo Credit: NASA/SDO)

This twisted blob of solar material – a hot, charged gas known as plasma – was captured erupting off the side of the Sun by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory earlier this week.

European Space Agency’s Integral gamma-ray observatory discovers dead stars can re-ignite and explode

(This composite Hubble image shows the SN2014J Type la supernova in visible light superimposed on a mosaic of the entire galaxy – Photo Credit: NASA/ESA/A. Goobar/Hubble Heritage Team/AURA)

Astronomers using the European Space Agency’s Integral gamma-ray observatory have found that dead stars, known as white dwarfs, can reignite and explode as supernovae. Scientists long suspected that Type Ia supernovas were the result of white dwarf stars blowing up, due to a disruptive interaction with a companion star, however this theory had lacked definitive evidence until now.

Reusable SpaceX rocket explodes during test flight

(A still from a video that captured the explosion – Photo Credit: Youtube)

On August 22nd, an unmanned SpaceX rocket exploded in mid air after it launched from the company’s development site in Texas. During the test flight, the three-engine version of the Falcon 9 rocket detected an anomaly which forced the flight termination system to automatically end the mission and destroy the craft.

Chandra Observatory searches for the cause of nearby supernova

(Supernova SN 2014J – Photo Credit: NASA/SAO/CXC/R. Margutti et al)

NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory is helping determine what caused SN 2014J, one of the closest supernovas discovered in decades.

X-ray data, captured before and after the stellar explosion, has revealed information about the environment around the supernova, enabling scientists to learn more about the possible cause of the explosion. 

Image of the Day: 8/8/14

(The two inset images show before-and-after images of Supernova 2012Z in the spiral galaxy NGC 1309. The white X at the top of the main image marks the location of the supernova in the galaxy – Photo Credit: NASA/ESA)

Following an unusually weak supernova explosion, a team of astronomers, using the Hubble Space Telescope, have spotted the left over remains of a dying star.

A supernova typically obliterates the exploding white dwarf however on this occasion, scientists believe that the faint supernova may have left behind a surviving portion of the star. Some are calling the remains a “zombie star”.