Wolf-Rayet Star Death Linked to Newly Spotted Supernova With New Technique
Wolf-Rayet stars are both very large and very hot, and scientists have long wondered whether when these massive stars die, they create certain types of supernovae. Now, researchers may have the answer. They’ve identified a Wolf-Rayet star as the likely progenitor of a recently-exploded supernova.
Wolf-Rayet stars possess strong stellar winds and are deficient in hydrogen-at least when compared with other stars. They’re easily recognizable by their stellar signatures. That’s why scientists have long wondered whether these stars explode as type IIb, Ib or Ic supernovae. Unfortunately, little direct evidence has been available to link these stars to these supernovae-until now.
The scientists used the Palomar 48-inch telescope in California to spot the supernova, called SN 2013cu. Then, they employed a novel observational method called flash spectroscopy in order to identify the likely progenitor of the type IIb supernova.
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