WASHINGTON: NASA’s latest space mission is set to study how massive stars, such as supernovas, contribute to the creation of new stars in orbit, Western media reported on Sunday.
The Integral Field Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Experiment, or INFUSE, will be launched on a small rocket to space from a launchpad in New Mexico.
The experiment would help scientists to understand a supernova trail visible in the Cygnus Loop, the remnants of a dead star.
The supernova was likely created about 20,000 years ago by the death of a massive star 20 times the size of the Sun, through an explosion.
Brian Fleming, a research professor at the University of Colorado said supernova like the one that created the Cygnus Loop has a huge impact on how galaxies form.
New mission to measure supernova
He said the new mission will measure the supernova to see how it feeds new star formation in the galaxy.
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Fleming said added the INFUSE will observe how the supernova throws energy into the Milky Way by catching light.
He said with these first-of-their-kind measurements, scientists will be able to understand how these elements from the supernova mix with the environment around them.
Experts views it a big step toward understanding how material from supernovas becomes part of planets like Earth.
