Warped Supernova Spotted by James Webb Telescope Could Settle a Longstanding Debate
The James Webb Space Telescope has captured a stunning image of a warped supernova, which could help settle a longstanding debate about the expansion rate of the universe.
The supernova, nicknamed "Encore," is located in a galaxy called MRG-M0138, which is about 10 billion light-years from Earth. It is so far away that we are seeing it as it was when the universe was only about 3 billion years old.
MRG-M0138 is also being magnified and distorted by the gravitational lensing effect of a massive galaxy cluster in front of it. This means that the light from the supernova is bent and stretched as it travels to Earth, creating multiple images of the explosion.
In 2019, astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope spotted the first supernova in MRG-M0138, which was nicknamed "Requiem." But the Webb telescope's infrared capabilities have allowed astronomers to see Encore for the first time.
"This is the first time we've ever seen two supernovae from the same explosion," said Nobel Prize-winning physicist Adam Riess, who is part of the team that made the discovery. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime event."
The two supernovae will provide astronomers with a unique opportunity to measure the expansion rate of the universe with unprecedented precision. This is because Type Ia supernovae, like Encore and Requiem, are all thought to have the same intrinsic brightness. So, by comparing the brightness of the two supernovae as they fade over time, astronomers can calculate how far apart they are from each other.
"This is a game-changer for cosmology," said Riess. "We could finally settle the debate about the expansion rate of the universe."
The debate about the expansion rate of the universe has been going on for decades. Some astronomers have used observations of cosmic microwave background radiation to calculate a value of about 67 kilometers per second per megaparsec (Hubble constant). But other astronomers, using observations of Type Ia supernovae, have calculated a value of about 74 kilometers per second per megaparsec.
The difference between these two values is significant. It suggests that the universe is expanding faster than we thought, which could have implications for our understanding of dark energy, the mysterious force that is thought to be driving the expansion of the universe.
The observations of Encore and Requiem could help to resolve this debate. By measuring the distance between the two supernovae, astronomers can calculate the Hubble constant with greater precision than ever before.
"This is a major breakthrough," said Riess. "We are now on the verge of understanding the universe better than ever before."
The James Webb Space Telescope is a joint project of NASA, the European Space Agency, and the Canadian Space Agency. It was launched in December 2021 and is now orbiting the sun at a distance of about 1 million miles from Earth.
The telescope is named after James E. Webb, who was the administrator of NASA from 1961 to 1968. Webb was a key figure in the development of the Apollo program, which landed the first humans on the moon.
The James Webb Space Telescope is the most powerful space telescope ever built. It is equipped with four infrared instruments that can see light from the earliest stars and galaxies in the universe.
The telescope is expected to make many more groundbreaking discoveries in the years to come.
I hope this article is helpful!
Sources
www.americaspace.com/2017/05/16/james-webb-space-telescope-arrives-at-johnson-space-center-for-cryogenic-testing/