<p>An international team of astronomers has been able to see into the heart of an exploding star, revealing how gamma-ray emissions are produced - something which mystified astronomers when they were first observed in 2012.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Because this type of ejection is also seen in binary star (two stars orbiting each other) systems, the new insights may help astronomers understand how those systems develop.<br /><br />"We not only found where the gamma-rays came from but also got a look at a previously unseen scenario that may be common in other nova explosions," said Laura Chomiuk from the Michigan State University in the US.<br /><br />They combined data from telescopes that are hundreds or even thousands of kilometres apart.<br /><br />Highly-detailed images produced using radio telescopes from across Europe and America have pinpointed the locations where a stellar explosion (called a nova), emitted gamma-rays (extremely high-energy radiation).<br /><br />A nova occurs when gas from a companion star falls onto the surface of a white dwarf star in a binary system.<br /><br />This triggers a thermonuclear explosion on the surface of the star which blasts the gas into space at speeds of millions of miles per hour.<br /><br />When it explodes it brightens hugely, leading in some cases to the appearance of a new star in the sky, hence the term nova. Astronomers did not expect this nova scenario to produce high-energy gamma rays.<br /><br />However, in 2012, NASA's Fermi spacecraft detected gamma-rays coming from a nova called V959 Mon, some 6500 light-years away from Earth.<br /><br />Later observations revealed two distinct knots of radio emission. These knots then were seen to move away from each other.<br /><br />This observation allowed scientists to put together a picture of how the radio knots and the gamma rays were produced.<br /><br />"Now, we may be able to use novae as a 'testbed' for improving our understanding of this critical stage of binary evolution," researchers concluded.The results were published in the journal Nature.</p>
<p>An international team of astronomers has been able to see into the heart of an exploding star, revealing how gamma-ray emissions are produced - something which mystified astronomers when they were first observed in 2012.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Because this type of ejection is also seen in binary star (two stars orbiting each other) systems, the new insights may help astronomers understand how those systems develop.<br /><br />"We not only found where the gamma-rays came from but also got a look at a previously unseen scenario that may be common in other nova explosions," said Laura Chomiuk from the Michigan State University in the US.<br /><br />They combined data from telescopes that are hundreds or even thousands of kilometres apart.<br /><br />Highly-detailed images produced using radio telescopes from across Europe and America have pinpointed the locations where a stellar explosion (called a nova), emitted gamma-rays (extremely high-energy radiation).<br /><br />A nova occurs when gas from a companion star falls onto the surface of a white dwarf star in a binary system.<br /><br />This triggers a thermonuclear explosion on the surface of the star which blasts the gas into space at speeds of millions of miles per hour.<br /><br />When it explodes it brightens hugely, leading in some cases to the appearance of a new star in the sky, hence the term nova. Astronomers did not expect this nova scenario to produce high-energy gamma rays.<br /><br />However, in 2012, NASA's Fermi spacecraft detected gamma-rays coming from a nova called V959 Mon, some 6500 light-years away from Earth.<br /><br />Later observations revealed two distinct knots of radio emission. These knots then were seen to move away from each other.<br /><br />This observation allowed scientists to put together a picture of how the radio knots and the gamma rays were produced.<br /><br />"Now, we may be able to use novae as a 'testbed' for improving our understanding of this critical stage of binary evolution," researchers concluded.The results were published in the journal Nature.</p>