supernovae (IMAGE)

DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

supernovae

Caption

The upper left figure shows the spectra -- brightness versus wavelength -- for two supernovae. One is nearby and one is very distant. To measure dark energy, scientists need to measure the distance between them very accurately, but how do they know whether they are the same? The lower right figure compares the spectra -- showing that they are indeed "twins." This means their relative distances can be measured to an accuracy of 3 percent. The bright spot in the upper-middle is a Hubble Space Telescope image of supernova 1994D (SN1994D) in galaxy NGC 4526.

Credit

Graphic credit: Zosia Rostomian/Berkeley Lab; photo credit: NASA/ESA)

Usage Restrictions

None

License

Licensed content

Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.