[en] When Will the Next Supernova in Our Galaxy Occur?

*Scientists have new tools at their disposal to detect and study the dramatic explosion of a star*
Imagine that you’re an astronomer in the early years of the 17th century. The telescope hasn’t yet been invented, so you scan the night sky only with the unaided eye. Then one day you see a remarkable sight: A bright new star appears, and for the next few weeks it outshines even the planet Venus. It’s so bright it can even be seen in broad daylight. It lingers in the sky for many months, gradually dimming over time.
That’s what the German astronomer Johannes Kepler saw in 1604; skywatchers elsewhere in Europe, the Middle East and Asia saw it too. We now know it wasn’t really a new star but rather a supernova explosion—an enormous blast that happens when certain stars reach the ends of their lives.
The 1604 event was the last time that a supernova appeared within our Milky Way galaxy. Or at least, the last one known to have been observed; it’s possible that there have been other nearby supernovas in the interim, likely obscured by intervening gas and dust. Astronomers can also view the remains of long-ago supernovas, such as the crab nebula, whose light first reached Earth in 1054. The next best thing to Kepler’s supernova in recent years was the supernova sighted in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a small companion galaxy of the Milky Way, in 1987 (and designated 1987A). Astronomers have also recorded many supernovas in other galaxies; these are visible telescopically but would have been entirely missed by skywatchers back in Kepler’s day.
In other words, it’s been a long wait—418 years since we’ve seen a star explode in our galaxy. So are we overdue for a bright, nearby supernova?
(continue)...
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/when-will-the-next-supernova-in-our-galaxy-occur-180980422/
--
[s]
Internetado.
--- No matter how fast your PC is, Microsoft will find a way to slow it down