Champagne Supernova in the Sky

Today's blog doesn't really have anything to do with the band Oasis or their song "Champagne Supernova" but it was playing in my head when I read about the headline regarding the discovery of the super-supernova SN 2006gy. What's significant about this discovery is that it is one of the first times that astronomers have observed a supernova of this size and this intensity. So what is a supernova? Simply put, a supernova is when the nuclear reactions within a sun reach a point that it explodes. Most typical supernovae explode and the light of the explosion lasts for several days and then fades back to nothing. In this case, the explosion has been visible for months and the intensity so bright that it is decreasing the intensity of light coming from nearby stars. What has excited astronomers about this particular supernova is not only the fact that it is the biggest and the brightest that they can recall seeing but also it is the one of the first cases where they have observed the explosion of a super star similar to what was present at the time the universe was thought to have formed.

The theory goes that in the beginning of the universe, there were a number of massive stars similar to this one which were on average, about 150 times the size of our sun. When these stars exploded, the resulting effects caused the universe to expand and spread the elements which helped form the planets and plant the seeds for the evolution of life in the universe. Now there are those who would argue that this goes against the theological theory of God creating the universe and while I'm sure some higher power had a hand in what happened, I'm not here to argue the merits of one side versus the other. I'm sure there are enough people out there with viewpoints one way or the other who are better qualified to argue these ideas, I'm simply stating what I know.

What is interesting about this is the fact that scientists used to believe that once a star went nova, there was a sudden drop in the gravity around where the sun once existed and there were greater chances for black holes to develop. Now bear in mind I am not an astronomer so if my 'scientific' rationale and reasoning is a bit flawed, that's probably why. Then again, I will not resort to using 'Star Trek' type techno-babble about Dyson spheres and dilithium crystals in my explanations either. What is surprising scientists and astronomers is the fact that the energy created by this supernova is also apparent in stars closer to the Earth though still far enough away that we don't have to start building rocket ships like Jor-El on Krypton.

It's fascinating to think though, that this single explosion probably also has the elements within it to create and propogate the creation of new planets or stars elsewhere in the universe and if so, there is a very good chance that there is other life out there. It would be a terrible waste of space if after all those types of explosions, there was only life on this one grain of sand in the beach of the universe. I also find it fascinating to think that the light we're seeing from this supernova didn't happen yesterday, but over 240 million years ago. That's how far the star was from Earth in terms of light years. It took that long for the light from the explosion to reach us. You talk about delayed transmissions; this is a case where the star has been missing since the time the dinosaurs roamed our planet and here now we are seeing the results of it so many years later.

If there are other beings out there with similar characteristics or societies as us, perhaps they are also looking to the stars and seeing this explosion. Perhaps civilizations much closer to the explosion have been wiped out long before we even realized it. Perhaps there are others who are now on the move now that the stars in their vicinity have gone nova. Perhaps we are looking at a massive clearing project for a trans-galactic super highway. Whatever it is, I find it amazing that there is still so much of our galaxy that we have yet to understand, and despite all the problems and chaos on our own little planet, there is still so much more to see and do out there. Perhaps someday we'll get to see it from out there.