Science

Exploding in Stereo: A Pair of Stars go Nova

Scientists in Northern Ireland and Japan have just published the results of a study that shows that a pair of stars that went nova, both of which are 50 – 100 times larger than our own sun, are among the largest ever observed. Reuters: "In the 2004 outburst episode, the star lost a significant amount […]

Dualnova
Scientists in Northern Ireland and Japan have just published the results of a study that shows that a pair of stars that went nova, both of which are 50 - 100 times larger than our own sun, are among the largest ever observed.

Reuters:

"In the 2004 outburst episode, the star lost a significant amount of the external mantle, while in the 2006 episode its heart collapsed, likely forming a black hole, while the rest of the star exploded as a very luminous supernova," Andrea Pastorello of the Queen's University
Belfast in Northern Ireland, one of the researchers, said by e-mail.

Of course, over here in the Milky Way, we're still waiting for Eta Carinae to go nova. At only 7,500 light years, she's right here in our backyard.