Aust astronomers examine death of a star

Astronomers have used radio telescopes in Australia and Chile to see inside the remains of a supernova, in what researchers describe as a forensic investigation into the death of a star.

The supernova was first observed in the southern hemisphere in 1987, when a large star exploded at the edge of a nearby galaxy called the Large Magellanic Cloud.

Since then, the remnant of Supernova 1987A has been examined by researchers around the world.

PhD candidate Giovanna Zanardo, of the University of Western Australia, led a team that used the Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimetre Array in Chile's Atacama Desert and the Australia Telescope Compact Array in NSW to observe the remnant.

"We've been able to distinguish radiation being emitted by the supernova's expanding shock wave from the radiation caused by dust forming in the inner regions of the remnant," Ms Zanardo said.

"It means we're able to separate the different types of emission we're seeing and look for signs of a new object which may have formed when the star's core collapsed."

The observations showed signs of something never seen before at the centre of the remnant, which researchers are examining.

"It's amazing that only now, with large telescopes like ALMA and the upgraded ATCA, we can peek through the bulk of debris ejected when the star exploded and see what's hiding underneath," Ms Zanardo said.

The research was published on Tuesday in the Astrophysical Journal.