A new Australian supercomputer reveals a stunning image of a supernova

The new generation of radio telescopes Like the ASKAP (Australian Square Kilometer Array Pathfinder) is capable of capturing a huge amount of data, but they need computers capable of processing that amount of information just as well. the new Cytonexsupercomputer Pawsey Center for Supercomputing Research, an Australian research institute, has just been launched for this purpose. He first appeared by processing a highly detailed image of supernova remnants.

It is located around G261.9 + 5.5, a remnant of a powerful supernova explosion. The material ejected from the explosion spreads into the surrounding interstellar medium at supersonic speeds, sweeping away gas and any material it encounters along the way, compressing and heating it in the process. This specific remnant is estimated to be over a million years old and located between 10 and 15 thousand light years from Earth.

The results of the images aroused the interest of researchers, and this is just The first of two stages Setonix supercomputer operating system, whose name stands for Setonix brachialisHey Coca, an animal from Western Australia that is popular on social media. The next stage should be completed by the end of this year.

The researchers’ excitement is justified. ASKAP consists of 36 antennas that work together as a single telescope and are powered by CSIROAustralian Space Agency. With the new supercomputer, all the data captured by the telescope will be processed in a fraction of the time it takes today, and Setonix’s ability is so great that it can detect new objects hidden in the radio waves captured by the device.