- Attachment: Eta Carinae and SN2006 image.
- The biggest supernova explosion ever recorded was in 2006. It is 250 million lightyears away in the Galaxy NGC 1260. The supernova was named SN2006gy. It super brightness lasted for several months pumping out enormous amounts of energy starting on September 18, 2006.
- There are three general types of supernovae ingeniously categorized as Type I, Type II, and Type III.
- This supernova SN2006 was a Type III. Type III supernovae occur with truly massive stars, up to 150 Solar Mass, which is believed to be the maximum size a star can possible get. These massive stars do not live very long, only a few million years. For that reason there are not many in existence today. In our Milky Way Galaxy of 400,000,000,000 stars less than 10 are Type III supernova candidates.
- After 5 to 10 million years these massive stars burn all their nuclear fusion fuel. They collapse and explode with such intensity their Gamma Rays create matter, anti-matter pairs. When these matter collides with anti-matter they annihilate entirely converting 100% of their mass into energy according to E = mc^2. ( By comparison, normal fusion reactions at the cores of stars only release 0.7% of their mass into energy.)
- The explosion from these massive stars is so great nothing is left behind. No Neutron Stars, no Blackholes, no remnant at the core is left behind. Everything is blown away into outer space. the matter, anti-matter annihilation releases 10 million - trillion times more energy then the output of the Sun.
- This Type III supernova in 2006 was 250,000,000 lightyears away. Eta Carinae is only 8,000 lightyears away. Nearly 32,000 times closer. It could blow tomorrow or any time in the next million years.
- Eta Carinae was first discovered in the Constellation Carina the Keel in 1677. “Eta” is the 7th letter in the Greek alphabet which meant that it was the seventh brightest star in the Constellation. In 1700 things changed, it became the brightest star in the Constellation. Then it changed again dimming for decades and in 1820 was the brightest again. Its brightness peaked again in April , 1843. It is definitely huffing and puffing.
- It is 4,000,000 times more luminous that our Sun with light coming from a binary pair of orbiting stars. Eta is the biggest of the pair and is estimated at 100 Solar Mass.
- Eta dimmed again in 1940, then brightened, and today is dimming again. Why these irregular outbursts occur astronomers can only guess. Somehow an interaction between the super luminous Eta sucks off material from one to the other maybe blocking light or maybe causing outbursts of light.
- The most recent outbursts have created the pairs of lobes or bubbles you see in the picture. Shockwaves have produced standing waves dividing the out rushing material into dual spheres expanding at 938,000 miles per hour. The center of the lobes glows in a violet color, the center has blown clear of dust allowing the blue wavelengths to escape. the dust in the bipolar lobes glows in red-light. It is a spectacular image today. When it blows it will look more like SN2006 supernova.
---------------------------------------------------------------
(1) Type I supernovae are from a double - star system. One star is a dense White Dwarf star that pulls in stellar wind material from the orbiting companion star. When enough material accumulates on the White Dwarf its carbon fusion enters a thermonuclear explosion with a well defined luminous supernova. Astronomers refer to these as “standard candles”.
-------------------------------------------------------------
(2) Type II supernovae are single massive stars whose core burns up the last remaining elements up to the element iron. Iron does not fuse and release energy, it absorbs energy. Therefore the core stops its outward radiation the pushes against gravity. The compressing material arrives at the core and rebounds into a massive explosion sending the outer layers of the star into outer space. The material flies away at 2,237,000 miles per hour. Left behind is a hyper-dense Neutron Star that is 12 miles in diameter or an even denser and smaller Blackhole.
----------------------------------------------------
(3) Type III supernovae described in this review are from the really super massive stars that can approach 150 Solar Mass.
---------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------
RSVP, please reply with a number to rate this review: #1- learned something new. #2 - Didn’t read it. #3- very interesting. #4- Send another review #___ from the index. #5- Keep em coming. #6- I forwarded copies to some friends. #7- Don‘t send me these anymore! #8- I am forwarding you some questions? Index is available with email and with requested reviews at http://jdetrick.blogspot.com/ Please send feedback, corrections, or recommended improvements to: jamesdetrick@comcast.net.
or, use: “Jim Detrick” www.facebook.com, or , www.twitter.com.
707-536-3272, Wednesday, December 7, 2011
No comments:
Post a Comment