ARIES Tracked “Supernova explosion” in Wolf–Rayet stars

What is the News?

Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences(ARIES) tracks a rare supernova explosion. They traced the supernova explosion to one of the hottest kinds of stars called Wolf–Rayet stars or WR stars.

ARIES is an autonomous institute under the Department of Science & Technology.

About the Supernova Explosion

• Astronomers studied the supernovae explosion called SN 2015dj. The explosion happened in the galaxy NGC 7371 in 2015.
• The ARIES calculated the mass of the star collapsed to form the supernovae.
• Based on that, they have found that the original star was a combination of two stars. One of them is a massive WR star. The other one is a star much less in mass than the Sun.

About Wolf–Rayet stars:

• Wolf–Rayet stars are highly luminous objects. The surface temperature of WR stars is a thousand times more than the Sun.
• They are massive stars. Further, they have completely lost their outer hydrogen. So the WR stares fusing helium or heavier elements in the core.
• The study of certain types of massive luminous supernovae explosion can help probe these stars that remain a mystery for scientists.

What is Supernova?

• Supernovae(SNe) are highly energetic explosions in the Universe releasing an enormous amount of energy.
• Long-term monitoring of these explosions helps us understand the nature of the exploding star as well as the explosion properties. It can also help calculate the number of massive stars.
• A supernova is the explosion of a star. It is the largest explosion that takes place in space. Supernovas are often seen in other galaxies. But supernovas are difficult to see in our own Milky Way galaxy because dust blocks our view. Further, a supernova happens where there is a change in the core or center of a star.

Source: PIB