Astronomers have discovered a puzzling cosmic orb with an almost perfect spherical shape in the outskirts of the Milky Way galaxy. The object, named Telios, is a supernova remnant that is eerily symmetrical and faintly glowing. Despite its unusual features, scientists are unsure about its exact location, size, and formation.
Telios was detected in radio images captured by the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder telescope in Western Australia as part of the Evolutionary Map of the Universe project. It’s a supernova remnant, which is an expanding cloud of gas and radiation left over from an exploded star.
The object’s spherical shape is unusual because most supernovas explode outward in all directions, leaving behind SNRs with more irregular shapes. However, Telios appears to have almost no imperfections, making it one of the most circular galactic SNRs known.
Telios’ low brightness suggests that it might be either very young or very old. Since its shape is likely due to a Type Ia supernova, which occurs in smaller stars and are less common outside the galactic plane, Telios is probably younger than most other SNRs.
However, determining Telios’ distance from Earth is challenging due to its low brightness, making it hard to estimate its size. The object could be anywhere from 45.6 to 156.5 light-years across, which is dozens of times larger than our solar system.
The discovery of Telios adds to the rarity of perfect SNRs, which are very uncommon in galaxies. However, this object’s unusual location and shape make it a fascinating addition to the study of supernovas and their remnants. Further research and high-resolution observations are needed to confirm its origin and provide more insights into this cosmic enigma.
Source: https://www.livescience.com/space/astronomy/astronomers-spy-puzzlingly-perfect-cosmic-orb-with-unknown-size-and-location