The latest image captured by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope reveals a distant galaxy that has recently birthed a supernova, appearing particularly bright within its hazy halo.
According to a report on NASA’s website on January 31st, the supernova, named SN 2022aajn, was discovered in November 2022. It is located in the Gemini constellation and is approximately 600 million light-years away from Earth.
In the center of the image captured by the Hubble Space Telescope, SN 2022aajn appears as a bright blue dot, illuminating its misty host galaxy.
NASA points out that SN 2022aajn has not been the subject of published research since its discovery. So why did the Hubble Space Telescope observe this supernova?
This is because SN 2022aajn is a type Ia supernova, the result of the core explosion of a dying star. This type of supernova can help astronomers measure the distances of distant galaxies.
This is made possible because type Ia supernovae have the same intrinsic brightness – regardless of how bright they appear from Earth, the amount of light they emit is consistent with other type Ia supernovae. By comparing the observed brightness with the known intrinsic brightness, researchers can calculate the distance between the supernova and its host galaxy.
This seemingly straightforward measurement method becomes complex due to cosmic dust. As a supernova is farther away, it appears dimmer and redder, but interstellar dust also dims and reddens the supernova.
To address this complexity, researchers will use the Hubble Space Telescope to survey a total of 100 Ia type supernovae across seven bands from ultraviolet to near-infrared.
The image captured by the Hubble Space Telescope combines data from four infrared wavelengths. Infrared light penetrates dust more easily than visible or ultraviolet light. By comparing the brightness of sampled supernovae at different wavelengths, researchers can clarify the effects of dust and distance, contributing to improving measurements of galaxies billions of light-years away.
Previously reported by Epoch Times, astronomers have various methods to measure the distances of celestial bodies, but Ia type supernovae are among the most useful and precise tools due to their brightness.
Astronomers must also employ other methods to independently verify distances measured by other techniques or to measure distances of objects much closer or much farther away. One such method applicable to galaxies is comparing a galaxy’s rotational speed with its brightness.