Press Release
Subaru Discovers Many Distant Supernovae
May 29, 2003
Researchers
from the University of Tokyo and the National Astronomical
Observatory of Japan discovered 18 distant supernovae using
Subaru telescope's prime focus camera, Suprime-Cam. A single
exposure alone showed 12 new supernovae. This is the first
time so many supernovae have been discovered at the same
time. Supernovae are the explosive ends of stars more than
8 times heavier than our Sun. They are rare events that
only occur once in a hundred years even in a galaxy with
hundreds of billions of stars. However, the explosions are
also one of the most energetic events in the Universe, and
can be seen from great distances. The newly discovered supernovae
are 4 to 7 billion light years away, and their light was
emitted when the universe was only half its current size.
The discovery will allow follow up observations that can
give a clear answer to whether or not the Universe is expanding
at an increasing rate, and if so how much.
>> University of Tokyo (in Japanese)
http://www.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp/