Type Ia Supernovae Identified as New Source of Cosmic Dust

Groundbreaking study challenges previous beliefs about cosmic dust formation, revealing Type Ia supernovae's role in dust creation.

Astronomers have discovered that Type Ia supernovae, previously not associated with significant dust creation, are a new source of cosmic dust.
This discovery challenges the long-held belief that only core-collapse supernovae in spiral galaxies were responsible for cosmic dust formation.
The study, led by Prof. Wang Lingzhi, utilized a range of telescopes to monitor supernova SN 2018evt over three years, revealing the process of dust formation.
The amount of dust created by SN 2018evt is estimated to be more than 1% of the Sun's mass, with potential for a tenfold increase as the supernova cools.
This finding could explain the presence of dust in elliptical galaxies and has implications for our understanding of cosmic dust's role in galactic evolution.