What is 30 Doradus B?

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.

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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