ND professor earns prestigious position
By JESSICA DAUES
News Writer
Peter Garnavich, Notre Dame physics professor, is currently enjoying the professional privilege of his life as a member of the Supernova Intensive Survey team, a select group of astronomers who are using the Hubble Space Telescope to watch a celestial collision 169,000 light years away.
In this never-before-seen occurrence, the debris from a 1987 supernova (an exploding star) will collide with the gas rings surrounding the site.
"We are rarely able to see a collision such as this in our lifetime. Usually we are only able to study the aftermath," said Garnavich.
The complex systems of gas rings encircling the supernova have long puzzled astronomers.
"We don't think that most supernovas have rings of gas such as these surrounding them. This is a very unique situation," said Garnavich.
The collision between the debris and the gas will illuminate previously unseen matter in the rings, giving astronomers new insight into the composition of the gas rings and the condition of the star before it exploded.
Earlier this month, Garnavich and his colleagues were able to observe the gases begin to glow as they were bombarded by 40-milion-miles-per-hour debris. On Feb. 2, four new knots of superheated gas appeared for the first time.
"The real fireworks show is finally starting, and over the next 10 years things will get spectacular," said Garnavich. "It helps that the Hubble is giving us an unparalleled view."
The Hubble Telescope allows Garnavich and the members of his team to observe and gather more accurate information about the rings than any other telescope on earth.
"The air in the atmosphere is constantly moving, which scatters light and blurs the view of the images of the telescopes here on earth," said Garnavich. "The Hubble Telescope, on the other hand, is above the atmosphere. We can get a clearer picture by using the Hubble Telescope."
Joining Garnovich are Supernova Institute Survey team members Robert Kirshner of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Nick Suntzeff of the Cerro Tololo Observatory in Chile, George Sonneborn and Jason Pun of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.
Later this year, the team plans to use the Hubble to make follow-up observations and watch what is considered to be the one of the biggest celestial collisions ever seen.
All News Stories for Wednesday, March 1, 2000
