TOKYO, Japan – In a groundbreaking discovery, scientists have captured an unprecedented view of the exploded star, supernova remnant N132D, located 160,000 light-years away. This star, which was 15 times bigger than our sun, exploded 3,000 years ago, blasting valuable elements like iron, calcium, sulfur, silicon, and argon into space.
A powerful new observatory orbiting Earth, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency-led XRISM (X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission), in collaboration with NASA, detected the remnants of this stellar explosion. The observatory’s spectrometer instrument is essential for deciphering the composition of distant cosmic objects, detecting x-rays emitted by exploded stars and black holes in the universe.
Brian Williams, NASA’s XRISM project scientist, explained that the elements detected in space were forged in the original star and then blown away as a result of the supernova explosion. The expanding remnant of gas and elements spans about 75 light-years across, and its discovery provides new insights and invaluable data for the international science community.
Richard Kelley, the U.S. principal investigator for XRISM at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, expressed excitement about the spacecraft’s ability to provide X-ray images of cosmic sources and study their compositions, motions, and physical states. The ambitious space mission was launched in September 2023 and is designed to last three years, but its lasting impact is expected to extend far beyond that timeframe.
The unprecedented view of supernova remnant N132D offers invaluable insights into the cosmic processes that shape our universe, adding to our understanding of the creation and distribution of elements in space. As scientists continue to study the remnants of this ancient stellar explosion, the XRISM observatory is poised to uncover new revelations about the mysteries of the cosmos.