Remeis astronomers have studied the remnant of a very nearby cosmic explosion.
Using data from X-ray and radio maps of the entire sky, astronomers from the Remeis Observatory have confirmed and studied the Antlia supernova remnant, a structure formed by a nearby supernova explosion. Due to its closeness and, hence, large extent in the sky (about 24 degrees, 50 times larger than the moon), only with the all-sky surveys of eROSITA (in X-rays) and STAPS (radio polarization) it became possible to study its properties and the environment in detail.
By combining the eROSITA and STAPS data with information about the distribution of cold stellar gas in the surroundings, we constrained its distance to 250 to 450 pc, placing it right behind the walls of a larger interstellar bubble, in which our Solar system is located. The strange bowl-like morphology of the supernova remnant is caused by a dense interstellar cloud in the north, with which the outer shock wave of the supernova remnant is interacting.
Read more: eROSITA and STAPS study of the Antlia supernova remnant
Knies, F., Raycheva, N., Sasaki, M., et al., 2026, A&A, 708, A198
Manami Sasaki
Manami.Sasaki@fau.de
+49 9131 85-81019