MAGIC telescopes observe nova explosion

The institute is called the Max Planck Institute for Physics.

Light on, light off is how one could describe the behavior of the nova. The constellation of the Serpent Bearer explodes every 15 years or so. A white dwarf, a small, burned-out star and a red giant are all in the same system.

The white dwarf is fed by the dying giant star as it sheds its outer hydrogen layer. The flow of matter continues until the white dwarf eats itself. The newly gained stellar shells become too large and are flung away in a thermonuclear explosion. The spectacle repeats itself until the dwarf star is intact.

There was an explosion in the high-energy range.

It had been speculated that such explosions involve high energy levels. The highest energies ever measured in a nova were recorded by the two MAGIC telescopes. The radiation is a hundred billion times more energetic than visible light.

The MAGIC telescopes are able to make their observations in less than 30 seconds.

The protons are part of the Cosmic rays.

After the explosion, several shock fronts traveled through the stellar wind from the Red Giant. Particles are accelerated to near the speed of light by these shock waves. The measurement shows that the rays come from hydrogen atoms.

David Green explains that nova outbursts are a source of cosmic rays. The big players are the remnants of exploded stars. novae's shock fronts are less violent than stellar explosions.

More observations will be necessary to fully understand the interplay of violent events with the interstellar medium. The MAGIC collaboration will continue to look for restless objects.

More information: Dam Green, Proton acceleration in thermonuclear nova explosions revealed by gamma rays, Nature Astronomy (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41550-022-01640-z. www.nature.com/articles/s41550-022-01640-z Journal information: Nature Astronomy Provided by Max Planck Institute for Physics Citation: MAGIC telescopes observe nova explosion (2022, April 14) retrieved 14 April 2022 from https://phys.org/news/2022-04-magic-telescopes-nova-explosion.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.