New supernova class identified by astronomers

Supernovae are extremely bright stars that usually form after the explosion of giant stars, with masses greater than 10 stars like our sun together. In addition, these events are also considered to be the most powerful star bursts ever known, becoming brighter than an entire galaxy.

However, according to the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, a group of astronomers has discovered a new type of these celestial bodies, in miniature version. According to a statement released by the center, astronomers have identified mini supernovae, so tiny that they glow 100 times lower than conventional supernovae.

Miniature Version

The new class was named “lax type, ” and 25 examples of similar supernovae have been discovered. Astronomers explained that mini-supernovae occur in binary systems, in which a white dwarf and a second star orbit around a center of mass, resulting in the dwarf's explosion. However, in the case of the lax-type supernova, the white dwarf survives the explosion.

For over a thousand years humans have been watching supernovae, and this new type in miniature version is not a rare event in the universe. They had never been identified before simply because their sparkles are too weak. In other words, the poor things had never been noticed by anyone.