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Supernova Detonates In Empty Space
mlimber tips a story in New Scientist about a powerful cosmic explosion that has astronomers scratching their heads. It apparently resulted from a supernova detonating in empty space, far from any galaxy. Researchers propose that the exploding star was in the gas trail yanked out of a galaxy when it passed or began merging with another. Quoting the lead author of the study: "Even if the galaxies have stopped forming stars, in the tidal tails you can trigger new episodes of star formation [not to mention detonation]." The research will be published in the Astrophysical Journal.
My vote is that it was a starship that had a critical engine failure.
:(
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No, it was not the star that "left" the galaxy, but the gas that later formed it.
The gas compression period should last long enough for the matter to escape from vincinity of it's mother galaxy.
This universe is amazing in all the ways it runs. Supernovas are inevitable, obviously, and thus the new elements they create are destined to be dispersed. Astronomy has shown that these heavier elements inevitably form into new stars and planets. Physics shows that these elements inevitably form molecules. Chemistry shows that the molecules inevitably bind together to form complex substances. Biology shows that these complex substances will further form replicate themselves.
We began by connecting the dots in the sky to form images of heroes, gods and monsters. Who knew that when we finally connected them all together it would be a picture of ourselves?
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Ok, I am not a professional astronomer, but here's my take on it.
Problem is that stars that blow up as supernovas are big. Very big. Especially since this one hints that it was so big to collapse into a black hole (based on the gamma ray burst).
Big stars don't live long. Only millions of years, instead of billions like our sun (or tens of billions like red dwarfs..).
Nearest galaxy was about 100000 light-years away. You don't get a star from there to the current location in just a few million years.
So, the star must have *formed*, burned, and blown up in intergalactic space.
It was really a chain-reaction of a distant planet using new small portable reactors to power local neighborhoods.