A dark place for centuries: Now an internationally active institute in Klosterneuburg has reconstructed a starry fireworks display – from a distance of many light years and from its dark remains. It was even possible to determine exactly what year the explosion took place (1181 AD).
Chinese sky watchers were thrilled when a glowing dot appeared out of nowhere to form a constellation. But as the little ‘white dwarf’ grew bigger and brighter, sky researchers – the year was 1181 – became frightened. When the structure suddenly disappeared into thin air after almost six months, it was once suspected to be a zombie event. Today we know: it was the last gasp of a star to become a supernova, which only in very rare cases leaves usable remnants of matter. They were only rediscovered in 2021 with the help of modern technology.
Changing matter artworks move astronomers
The task of reconstructing this very special supernova explosion using state-of-the-art equipment and highly sensitive data was given to astronomer Ilaria Caiazzo. And lo and behold: the supposed zombie light point was actually an optical sensation – “a beautiful appearance, comparable to a living dandelion, whose threads grew longer and longer,” according to the assistant professor at the International Institute of Science and Technology Austria. (ISTA) with a branch in Klosterneuburg explains enthusiastically that his colleagues all over the world are fascinated. Comparably inconspicuous is the name that astronomers usually assign to the cosmic fireworks in short form: “SN 1181”.
Source: Krone
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