Gravitational lensing magnifies supernova 4 billion light years away
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A rare supernova explosion over 4 billion light years away has been observed.
Using a technique known as gravitational lensing, an international team of astronomers called the “SN Zwicky was able to spot this supernova. The team has named the supernova “SN Zwicky.”
Rare gravitationally lensed supernova
In his general theory of relativity, renowned physicist Albert Einstein addressed the gravitational lensing phenomena. According to the theory, huge cosmic objects cause a distortion in space-time. It warps space around cosmic objects, like a galaxy, magnifying distant objects and making them look larger.
Scientists may investigate faraway objects using ground-based telescopes because of this naturally occurring phenomenon. Without this occurrence, the objects would be too far and too faint to study from Earth.
As per the authors, SN Zwicky was magnified “nearly 25 times” by a foreground galaxy acting as a lens.
“SN Zwicky not only is magnified by the gravitational lens, but it also belongs to a class of supernovae that we call ‘standard candles’ because we can use their well-known luminosities to determine the distance in space,” said Igor Andreoni, an astronomer from the University of Maryland, in an official release.
Andreoni further explained: “When a source of light is farther away, the light is dimmer—just like seeing candles in a dark room. We can compare two light sources in this way and gain an independent measure of distance without having to actually study the galaxy itself.”
The observation using multiple telescopes
The exceptional brightness of the supernova was initially detected using the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF). The W.M. Keck Observatory, the Very Large Telescopes, and NASA's Hubble Space Telescope were used for the follow-up observations.
Through extensive observation, the team was able to conduct a comprehensive analysis, including spectroscopic data and detailed imaging of SN Zwicky.
Four photos of SN Zwicky were generated from various points in the sky. The photos proved that gravitational lensing was responsible for the supernova's unusual brightness.
The study holds the potential to expand the understanding of the inner cores of galaxies, dark matter, and universe expansion. The team highlights that lensed supernovae, such as SN Zwicky, might potentially be used to probe the elusive dark energy.
“This discovery paves the way to find more of such rare lensed supernovae in future big surveys that will help us study transient astronomical events like supernovae and gamma-ray bursts. We look forward to more unexpected discoveries using broad, untargeted optical surveys of the sky like the one that helped us identify SN Zwicky. With this approach, we’ll be able to probe the transient sky with an unprecedented depth,” Andreoni concluded.
The results have been published in the journal Nature Astronomy.
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