This spring, scientists finally found proof that supernovae, stars that explode, can generate the most energetic gamma-ray bursts. This is according to Daniele Malesani, Swift observatory duty scientist at the Dark Cosmology Centre (DARK), part of the University of Copenhagen\u2019s Niels Bohr Institute, which has worked in collaboration with NASA and other research centers. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe saw the supernova very clearly. Now we believe with more certainty that other gamma-ray bursts happen due to supernovae in the more distant universe as well,\u201d Daniele Malesani explains .<\/p>\n
In the beginning of 2013, DARK signed an international agreement to help Danish researchers with more data. According to this, they participate in the operation of NASA\u2019s Swift satellite and they can use the collected data in return. <\/p>\n
Supernova events are unpredictable, so the supernova-searching team has a difficult job. They do not know where to look and they can only monitor around 1\/6th of the sky at given time. In order to have the best chance, they work with a satellite designed to analyze these bursts. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe satellite is automatic. It focuses instantly to the brightness, when such things happen. It is much more reliable than a human being, since these events usually last only for less than a minute.\u201d says Daniele. <\/p>\n
The easiest way to find these events is from outer space, but they can be monitored by ground-based telescopes while they fade. DARK uses the Nordic Optical Telescope in La Palma (Canary Islands, Spain) to monitor the exploded star in a longer term.<\/p>\n
[video:https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=7uN1AjMui5k width:525 height:380 align:center] The observation of supernovae is not an easy task. Usually, they explode so far in the distance that astronomers can only see the brighter light from the gamma-ray burst. <\/p>\n \u201cThis gamma-ray burst was one of the closest, from the hundreds we have been monitoring. It happened in our cosmic neighborhood, around 3.6 billion light-years from us.\u201d says Daniele. <\/p>\n universitypost@adm.ku.dk<\/p>\n Like us on Facebook <\/a> for features, guides and tips on upcoming events. Follow us on Twitter<\/a> for links to other Copenhagen academia news stories. Sign up for the University Post weekly newsletter here<\/a>.<\/em> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Observations of a recent ‘close-to-us’ exploding star are important, says astrophysicist at the University of Copenhagen’s Dark Cosmology Centre<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":10484,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10481","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-science","expression-news_article"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\nImage Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center<\/em><\/p>\nRelatively close to us<\/h2>\n