Astronomers have recently discovered a never-before-seen supernova remnant in the sky using the MeerKAT radio telescope array in South Africa. This supernova remnant, known as GKW 041, is located about 120,000 light-years away in the Milky Way galaxy and is thought to be the remains of a Type Ia supernova—a rare type of supernova that is the result of a white dwarf star accreting matter from a companion star until it reaches a critical mass.

This week, astronomers released their findings on GKW 041, which they believe is the youngest known supernova remnant in the Milky Way—only 3,000 years old. This is a remarkable discovery, as supernova remnants are usually much older and have typically been studied in other galaxies. With the help of the MeerKAT radio telescope array, astronomers were able to image the supernova remnant in unprecedented detail and learn more about its structure and composition.

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source: Phys.org