Supernova explosions categorized under the Type Ia 'standard candle' have the most energetic activity across the whole universe. This explosion commonly occurs when a white dwarf devours another stellar body. After being a theory for decades, new evidence shows that this type of supernova exists.
The confirmation of the standard candle explosion was made possible through a specimen from the extraterrestrial stone called Hypatia.
Egypt's Hypatia Stone Likely Originated Outside Solar System
Samples of the extraterrestrial Hypatia stone next to a small coin.
Hypatia was first discovered in the country of Egypt back in 1996. Through the advanced technologies available today, experts found that the rock's chemical composition and physical features have information pointing to the dust and cloud present caused by an Ia supernova.
Because of natural processes that took place billions of years, dust and gas particles of the Hypatia might have become solid, with transitions similar to other cosmic rocks hovering across space.
University of Johannesburg's Department of Geology geochemistry specialist Jan Kramers explained in the institute's press release that discovering the rock's details is, to some degree catching the Ia supernova in the act of explosion.
The gas and dust clouds surrounding the explosion eventually formed the Hypatia's parent body, and from there, we were able to get ahold of the fragments present on our planet's surface.
The team utilized non-destructive techniques to observe about 17 various targets on the structure of the Hypatia rock. The experts found unusual levels of common cosmic elements such as chromium, silicon, and manganese. The absence of these elements convinced the authors that the rock did not obtain its presence from inside our solar system but from outside our neighborhood.
Other elements showed high concentrations in the Hypatia fragment, including sulfur, copper, iron, phosphorus, and vanadium. The abnormal intensity of this chemical supports the fact that the rock likely formed out in uncharted space.
Hypatia is a Product of Rare Type Ia Supernova Explosion, First Evidence on Earth
Collectively, the element patterns of the Hypatia stone point out that the origin of the material is from a red giant star. Instead of the common II supernovae, the makeup of the rock matches those of Ia supernova types. This was established due to the excessive iron of the stone's composition compared to the rate of calcium and silicon of the Milky Way's materials.
Kramers said that if the theory is correct, this rock from Egypt would be the first tangible evidence of a Type Ia supernova explosion on Earth, reports Science Alert.
Despite the rock having abundant elements, only 15 elements matched those in the products of white dwarf explosions. In addition, about six elements did not match the common elements of rocks found in Type Ia supernovae.
Further studies will be conducted regarding the past of the Hypatia stone, particularly the unusual chemical arrangements it had when it was still part of a red giant.
The study was published in the journal Icarus, titled "The chemistry of the extraterrestrial carbonaceous stone "Hypatia": A perspective on dust heterogeneity in interstellar space."
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