Astronomers have made a surprising discovery inside the remains of a giant star that exploded about 1,600 years ago.
They found newborn stars surrounded by warm clouds of gas that are rich in complex organic molecules.
The finding suggests that even after one of the most powerful explosions in the universe, the ingredients needed to build planets—and possibly the chemistry that leads to life—can survive.
The discovery was made by researchers from Niigata University, Gifu University, RIKEN and Kyoto University in Japan using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), one of the world’s most powerful radio telescopes.
Their study was published in The Astrophysical Journal.
The team studied a supernova remnant called RX J1713.7−3946. A supernova remnant is the cloud of gas and dust left behind after a massive star reaches the end of its life and explodes. These explosions are among the most energetic events in the universe.
They create many of the heavy elements found throughout space and can even trigger the birth of new stars.
Scientists have long wondered what happens to the gas and dust where new stars are forming after a nearby supernova explodes.
The powerful shock waves and high-energy particles released by the explosion could destroy complex molecules. On the other hand, they might also help create new ones. Until now, the answer has remained unclear.
Using ALMA’s extremely sensitive instruments, the researchers discovered two “hot cores” inside the supernova remnant. Hot cores are small, warm and dense clouds of gas that surround very young stars. They are known to contain many different molecules and are considered important places where the materials that eventually form planets begin to develop.
This is the first time astronomers have found hot cores inside a supernova remnant.
Even more surprising was what they found inside these stellar cocoons. Both hot cores contained a rich collection of organic molecules, including several complex molecules made from carbon. In one of the hot cores, the mix of these molecules closely matched what scientists normally see in peaceful star-forming regions that have never been affected by a nearby supernova.
This suggests that the newborn stars remained safely protected inside their dense clouds of gas despite the violent explosion happening nearby.
The researchers believe there are several possible reasons why the molecules survived. One idea is that the supernova’s energetic particles have only recently reached these hot cores and simply have not had enough time to change their chemistry. Another possibility is that powerful magnetic fields created by the explosion act like a protective shield, preventing many high-energy particles from entering the dense gas around the young stars.
The discovery may also provide clues about our own origins. Some scientists think our solar system formed in a region that was influenced by a nearby supernova billions of years ago. Tiny pieces of ancient material found in meteorites hint that our young solar system may have grown in such an environment.
Although this new study shows that complex organic molecules can survive inside some supernova remnants, researchers say they still do not know whether this is common or rare. Future observations will examine more supernova remnants to learn how often young stars remain protected after nearby stellar explosions.
The findings suggest that the building blocks needed for planets and possibly life may survive in far more places across the universe than scientists once believed.
Source: KSR.
