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Supernova Traced to Collision of White Dwarf Stars
from the Los Angeles Times (Registration Required)
Type 1a supernovae, exploding stars that can outshine entire galaxies, were instrumental to the Nobel Prize-winning discovery that a mysterious "dark energy" is fueling the expansion of the universe. But astronomers haven't been able to pin down what causes these massive stellar explosions.
Now, after studying a Type 1a supernova in a nearby galaxy, two researchers say that they must be the result of a collision between two white dwarf stars. They made their case in the journal Nature.
Pinning down the origins of these so-called standard candles, which can be used to help determine the brightness of other objects, may aid scientists in sharpening their understanding of the nature of dark energy. As astronomers map out the known universe, it can be hard to tell whether a tiny speck of light is from an object that is bright but far away or dim but nearby. Type 1a supernovae, on the other hand, are thought to all shine at the same peak brightness, which allows scientists to determine how far away they are.
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