Astronomers have discovered one of the earliest known supernovae and found that exploding stars may have contributed to the enrichment of the young universe. The discovery was made using the James Webb Space Telescope, which has increased sensitivity and infrared detector capabilities, allowing it to find a supernova from the first generation of stars formed after the Big Bang.
The team led by David Coulter used the JWST Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey (JADES) to search for supernovae in the first billions of years after the Big Bang. They found dozens of transients, but one bright transient was identified as an early supernova occurring when the universe was less than 2 billion years old.
Analyzing the Webb data, the team determined that the original star might have been 20 times the Sun’s mass, created in a pristine environment where elements heavier than hydrogen and helium were abundant. The core-collapse supernova is believed to have played a major role in shaping how galaxies formed and changed.
In another discovery, Melissa Shahbandeh reported that certain core-collapse supernovae may have been major dust producers in the young universe. The team found that these supernovae could be rapid dust factories, producing significant amounts of dust that survived the explosion.
These discoveries shed light on the role of early supernovae in the young universe and demonstrate how space telescopes like JWST are pushing the boundaries of our understanding of cosmic history.
Source: https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/supernovae-may-have-shaped-the-early-universe-webb-finds