不寻常的星云Pa 30

2024年4月3日

Unusual Nebula Pa 30
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, USAF, NSF;
Processing: G. Ferrand (U. Manitoba), J. English (U. Manitoba), R. A. Fesen (Dartmouth), C. Treyturik (U. Manitoba);
Text: G. Ferrand & J. English

Explanation: What created this unusual celestial firework? The nebula, dubbed Pa 30, appears in the same sky direction now as a bright “guest star” did in the year 1181. Although Pa 30’s filaments look similar to that created by a nova (for example GK Per), and a planetary nebula (for example NGC 6751), some astronomers now propose that it was created by a rare type of supernova: a thermonuclear Type Iax, and so is (also) named SN 1181. In this model, the supernova was not the result of the detonation of a single star, but rather a blast that occurred when two white dwarf stars spiraled together and merged. The blue dot in the center is hypothesized to be a zombie star, the remnant white dwarf that somehow survived this supernova-level explosion. The featured image combines images and data obtained with infrared (WISE), visible (MDM, Pan-STARRS), and X-ray (Chandra, XMM) telescopes. Future observations and analyses may tell us more.

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不寻常的星云Pa 30
影像提供: NASA, ESA, USAF, NSF;
影像处理: G. Ferrand (U. Manitoba), J. English (U. Manitoba), R. A. Fesen (Dartmouth), C. Treyturik (U. Manitoba);
文稿: G. Ferrand & J. English

说明: 是什么造就了这团不寻常的天体烟火？这团名为Pa 30的星云，目前在天空中的方位，和1181年所见到的明亮“客星”在同一方向。尽管Pa 30的丝状结构看起来与新星（例如GK Per）和行星状星云（例如NGC 6751）产生的丝状物相似，但天文学家现在提议，它是由一种罕见、分类为Iax的热核爆炸超新星所造成的，因此它的另一重身分是SN 1181。在目前提出的模型里，这颗超新星并不是由单一恒星的爆炸造成的，而是由两颗盘旋互绕的白矮星合并时所触发的爆炸。星云中心的泛蓝光斑假定是颗僵尸恒星，是不知如何在这例超新星等级的爆炸里孑遗下来的白矮星残骸。这张主题影像，整合了来自红外光（WISE）、可见光（MDM, Pan-STARRS）和X射线（Chandra, XMM）望远镜的影像和数据。未来的观测和分析，或许可以提供更多关于这个天体的资讯。