A second supernova inside Puppis A?

Narrow-band images of an unusual swirl structure located near the center of the Puppis A supernova remnant are presented which reveal three overlapping filamentary systems of highly diverse composition. One is dominated by emission lines of nitrogen, one by oxygen, and one by sulfur. Spectra indicat...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature (London) 1989-01, Vol.337 (6202), p.48-50
Main Authors: Winkler, P. F., Kirschner, R. P., Hughes, J. P., Heathcote, S. R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Astronomy
Astrophysics
Earth, ocean, space
Exact sciences and technology
Interstellar medium (ism) and nebulae in milky way
Space
Stars & galaxies
Stellar systems. Galactic and extragalactic objects and systems. The universe
Supernova remnants
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Summary:Narrow-band images of an unusual swirl structure located near the center of the Puppis A supernova remnant are presented which reveal three overlapping filamentary systems of highly diverse composition. One is dominated by emission lines of nitrogen, one by oxygen, and one by sulfur. Spectra indicate that these small rings have high velocities and a corresponding kinematic age of less than 800 yr. Heavy-element abundances are extremely high and different in each system, some reminiscent of knots in Cas A, and others of circumstellar matter observed surrounding supernova 1987A. The youth and unusual chemistry lead to the suggestion that a second supernova has exploded within the shell of Puppis A, giving rise to the swirl structure.
ISSN:0028-0836
1476-4687
DOI:10.1038/337048a0