What is 30 Doradus B?

Table of Contents☰

Why in News?

The team of astronomers studying the remnant discovered that it could not have been formed by a single supernova. Instead, the researchers believe it was created by at least two.

About 30 Doradus B

30 Doradus B, also cataloged as NGC 2060, is a supernova remnant found in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a small satellite galaxy of the Milky Way.
It is part of a large star-forming region where stars have been continuously forming for the past 8 to 10 million years.
It is a complex landscape of dark clouds of gas, young stars, high-energy shocks, and superheated gas, located 160,000 light-years away from Earth.

What is a Supernova?

A supernova is the explosion of a star whose luminosity after an eruption suddenly increases many millions of times its normal level.
Supernovas are “the largest explosion that takes place in space.”
A star can go supernova in one of two ways:
- Type I supernova: The star accumulates matter from a nearby neighbour until a runaway nuclear reaction ignites.
- Type II supernova: The star runs out of nuclear fuel and collapses under its own gravity.
Supernovas can briefly outshine entire galaxies and radiate more energy than our sun will in its entire lifetime.
They’re also the primary source of heavy elements in the universe.
They heat up the interstellar medium, distribute heavy elements throughout the Galaxy, and accelerate cosmic rays.

Key Facts about NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory

It is a telescope specially designed to detect X-ray emission from very hot regions of the Universe, such as exploded stars, clusters of galaxies, and matter around black holes.
It was launched by NASA on July 23, 1999.
Because X-rays are absorbed by Earth’s atmosphere, Chandra must orbit above it, up to an altitude of 139,000 km (86,500 mi) in space.

Q1) What are X-rays?

X-rays are a form of electromagnetic radiation, similar to visible light. Unlike light, however, x-rays have higher energy and can pass through most objects, including the body. Medical x-rays are used to generate images of tissues and structures inside the body.

Source: Nasa telescope rings in 2024 by capturing two mega star explosions in space