Youngest Type 1a Supernova Ever Observed

16 January 2012

The Pinwheel Galaxy

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SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS, in VOA Special English. I’m Shirley Griffith.

STEVE EMBER: And I’m Steve Ember. Today, we tell about the discovery of what astronomers are calling the youngest type 1a supernova ever observed. We tell about an effort to improve the diet of New York City school children. We also tell why some chili peppers are hotter than others, and how listening to music can ease pain.

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SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: Two teams of astronomers say the quick discovery of a supernova has helped to solve several mysteries in astronomy. Supernovas are intensely bright exploding stars. Astronomers sometimes use such explosions to measure distance in the universe.

The two teams recently reported findings from what they are calling the youngest type-1a supernova ever observed. They say the findings supported some long-held theories about what kind of stars explode to create supernovas.

STEVE EMBER: The scientists say the research provided the first evidence that small, dense dying stars called carbon-oxygen dwarfs become type-1a supernovas. These white dwarfs are often members of binary star systems. Such a system has two stars that orbit each other. A white dwarf explodes as a type-1a supernova when it takes too much material from its neighbor.