News in Brief Astronomy

While exploding, supernovas not spherical

X-rays reveal uneven allotment of element made by blowup

LOPSIDED  Blue regions represent radioactive titanium in the supernova remnant Cassiopeia A, located about 11,000 light-years away. Previous surveys detected other elements, shown in red, yellow and green. The clumpy distribution of titanium suggests that the deceased star was not perfectly spherical when it exploded.

JPL-Caltech, CXC/SAO and NASA

By Andrew Grant

- More than 2 years ago

Giant stars are slightly off-kilter as they go kablooey, research in the Feb.