H0pe is a distorted and distant supernova
That reports it Online magazine space.com It shows images of the supernova taken in March of this year. H0pe is a rare and distorted supernova.
The unusual thing about these images is that the supernova appears three times in the image due to the effect of gravitational lensing. In addition, H0pe is the second most distant Type 1a supernova discovered to date. All this makes it particularly interesting for science.
In images of the supernova, the exploding star appears as an arc of orange light with three bright spots. The arc is the result of gravitational lensing – an effect that occurs when light from a distant object traverses space-time due to the gravity of a massive object in front, such as a planet. B. A big galaxy, it was distorted. This also expands the distal object and makes it easier for researchers to analyze. The three bright spots give the impression of three separate light sources. In fact, the supernova, located about 16 billion light-years away from us, has only been replicated twice by a lensing effect.
Astrophysicist Ethan Siegel now believes that H0pe could help resolve a long-standing paradox about the expansion of the universe – the so-called “Hubble tension.”
A mystery about the Hubble constant
The Hubble effort is due to a discrepancy between the two main methods for estimating the universe’s expansion rate, known as the Hubble constant.
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The first method measures the expansion using cosmic microwave background radiation, which is leftover radiation from the Big Bang. However, the second method, which measures how far away some objects such as galaxies and supernovas are from us, always produces a slightly higher value.
This problem has puzzled scientists for decades, because there is no clear reason why one method should produce different results than another. Siegel believes H0pe could help resolve the Hubble tension because it is a Type 1a supernova, which astronomers call a “standard candle” — an incredibly reliable reference point by which we can measure the expansion of the universe.
Researchers are confident that the Hubble constant problem can finally be solved if the James Webb Telescope can continue to detect such distant “standard candles” for further calculations.
- James Webb Telescope provides images of supernova ‘H0pe’
- “H0pe” is the second most distant Type 1a supernova yet discovered
- The images show the supernova tripling due to the effect of gravitational lensing
- Supernovas can provide information about the expansion of the universe
- Hubble Effort study – discrepancy in expansion rates
- Type 1a supernovae as “standard candles” for measuring expansion
- We hope to solve the problem with more “standard candle” discoveries.
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