The vibrant cosmic ribbons of gas are the result of an explosion of a white dwarf star that reached the end of its life, also known as a Type 1a supernova. This supernova remnant, officially known as DEM L249, is located in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), which is a satellite dwarf galaxy of the Milky Way and among the closest galaxies to Earth.
Hubble snapped this new photo of DEM L249 while surveying the LMC in search of surviving stellar companions of white dwarf stars that had already exploded, according to a statement from NASA (opens in new tab).
White Dwarf 249
Therefore, given heavier stars expel more gas, the white dwarf star that created DEM L249 is believed to have been incredibly massive when it exploded. In turn, the star would have died earlier in its lifecycle, according to the statement.
Aims.We present evolutionary calculations and colors for massive white dwarfs with oxygen-neon cores for masses between 1.06 and 1.28 . The evolutionary stages computed cover the luminosity range from 0.5 down to -5.2.
Methods.Our cooling sequences are based on evolutionary calculations that take into account the chemical composition expected from massive white dwarf progenitors that burned carbon in partially degenerate conditions. The use of detailed non-gray model atmospheres provides us with accurate outer boundary conditions for our evolving models at low effective temperatures.
Results.We examine the cooling age, colors and magnitudes of our sequences. We find that massive white dwarfs are characterized by very short ages to such an extent that they reach the turn-off in their colors and become blue at ages well below 10 Gyr. Extensive tabulations for massive white dwarfs, accessible from our web site, are also presented.
The bright glow of reddish clouds and dust in the image was identified as the aftermath of a catastrophic explosion. According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the red ribbon explosion is indeed remnants of a dead white dwarf. The explosions from the specified stellar bodies are considered to be more powerful than the standard supernovas that occur across the universe.
The glowing exhibit is known as the DEM L249, and currently hovers inside the confines of the famous Large Magellanic Cloud or LMC. Due to the capacity of the explosion that white dwarfs could produce, the red glow of the DEM L249 was confirmed as leftovers of a Type 1a supernova.
The Large Magellanic Cloud is considered a satellite dwarf galaxy under the greater realm of the Milky Way. The distance between our galaxy and the LMC is estimated to stretch at 160,000 light-years. The measure of the Large Magellanic Cloud makes it among the nearest galaxies to Earth, making the red stellar explosion DEM L249 also close to the planet.
Based on a report by Space, experts from NASA said that the Hubble Space Telescope was able to capture the red ribbon unintentionally while it is being utilized in observation of the greater regions of the Large Magellanic Clouds. The said project is conducted to find and record white dwarfs and their relatives that have already exploded.
NASA experts informed that the white dwarfs are frequently found to have a stable state. However, some white dwarfs are known to explode on their own when they are placed in a space that has a binary system. This setup is comprised of two giant stars in a single domain, but as impossible as it seems, several galaxies have binary arrangements.
But there is one thing that endangers this scenario. The presence of two massive white dwarfs could pull each other, leading to the star with a greater gravitational pull to eventually suck up the entirety of its companion. When this happens, the greater star would inherit all of the mass, and upon reaching a critical rate, it would explode into a supernova that would cause a more powerful impact than the standard bursts.
The DEM L249 is among the rare supernova remnants in space. Astronomers believe the red ribbon is fragments of a young white dwarf that had developed into a supernova earlier than expected inside the vast section of the Large Magellanic Cloud.
Blick. No, many months ago. But her red lips have never paled, nor her white skin looked less fair than snow. We could not bear to hide her away in the black earth, so we made this coffin of crystal and silver, and wrote her name upon it, "The Princess Snow White." And here we watch over her night and day. We loved her so!
AR Scorpii1 appears to be an example. It is a binary system, consisting of a white dwarf and an M-type red dwarf. It was apparently originally classified as a $\delta$ Scuti variable star, but it was later discovered to be a true close binary, with a period of 3.56 hours.
The rational for determining that the compact object is a white dwarf follows from its luminosity, its relatively long spin period (longer than any neutron star pulsar yet discovered), and the fact that the pairing with a red dwarf is "more natural" than the odd alternative involving a low-mass neutron star and high-mass red dwarf.
The system may form what is known as an intermediate polar, involving accretion onto a white dwarf influenced by the object's strong magnetic field. The other notable example is AE Aquarii, as Rob Jeffries mentioned. However, its radio emissions do not involve pulsations. Why it doesn't emit pulsating signals at radio wavelengths is another question entirely, and not one I can answer right now. 2ff7e9595c
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