Suzaku Studies Supernova ‘Crime Scene,’ Shows a Single White Dwarf to Blame
Using archival data from the Japan-led Suzaku X-ray satellite, astronomers have determined the pre-explosion mass of a white dwarf star that blew up thousands of years ago. The measurement strongly suggests the explosion involved only a single white dwarf, ruling out a well-established alternative scenario involving a pair of merging white dwarfs. “Mounting evidence indicates […]