Three years after its explosion,a type Ia supernova continues to shine brighter than expected, new research finds. The observations, and made with the Hubble Space Telescope and published today in The Astrophysical Journal,propose that the powerful explosions produce an abundance of a heavy form of cobalt that gives the heat from nuclear decay an extra energy boost. The work could abet researchers pinpoint the parents of type Ia supernovae—a type of stellar explosion that is frequently used to degree distances to faraway galaxiesand reveal the mechanics behind these explosions.
Source: phys.org