Astronomers have detected the first signs of the birth of a neutron star at the center of a supernova remnant.
Supernova 1987A, or SN1987A, was first spotted by astronomers when it was observed exploding at the edge of the Large Magellanic Cloud.
More than 25 years later, researchers at the University of Western Australia have now used more advanced radio telescopes, based in Australia and Chile, to study the remains of the dead star.
"By combining observations from the two telescopes we've been able to distinguish radiation being emitted by the supernova's expanding shock wave from the radiation caused by dust forming in the inner regions of the remnant," study leader Giovanna Zanardo, who used the Alma telescope in Chile to observe the supernova said in a statement.
A study on their findings was published this week in the Astrophysical Journal.
"This is important because it means we're able to separate out the different types of emission we're seeing and look for signs of a new object which may have formed when the star's core collapsed. It's like doing a forensic investigation into the death of a star," Zanardo added.
Since being discovered in February 1987, the dead star has provided researchers with huge amounts of information about supernovas.
Zanardo said the most recent observations have led to the discovery of something never seen before.
"Our observations with the Atca and Alma radio telescopes have shown signs of something never seen before, located at the center or the remnant," said Zanardo. "It could be a pulsar wind nebula, driven by the spinning neutron star, or pulsar, which astronomers have been searching for since 1987.
"It's amazing that only now, with large telescopes like Alma and the upgraded Atca, we can peek through the bulk of debris ejected when the star exploded and see what's hiding underneath," Zanardo added.
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