For thirty years, scientists around the world have relentlessly tracked her down. A neutron star is said to have been found by researchers at Cardiff University, says The Independent. A neutron star forms when a giant star dies and its heart collapses.
Entitled 1987A, the supernova, which gave birth to the coveted neutron star, was first seen on February 23, 1987. Visible from Earth, the star shone for many months with comparable light intensity to 100 million suns.
During this period, scientists were able to study it, examine it and follow the life and death course of an "extreme" star. 1987A belongs to the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy, which is 160,000 light years from the blue planet, a distance which is ultimately quite close to the scale of the Universe. But when he died, the neutron star vanished.
Cloud of dust
Astronomers are looking for that special star that the giant star left behind after its death. For thirty years, it would have been hidden by a huge cloud of cosmic dust. But scientists now claim they have finally been able to locate it. One of the bright parts of the cloud would have put the chip in the ear of astronomers. The area in question appears to be the place where the neutron star took refuge.
This discovery could help learn more about how giant stars evolve during their life, but also how they die and what happens next. "Our discoveries will allow astronomers to better understand the giant stars and their life cycle, but also what they leave behind," said Dr. Mikako Matsuura, member of the study committee. According to him, "if the cloud of dust gradually dissipates, astronomers will have the opportunity to observe a neutron star for the first time".
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