Discovery of strange object in the middle of the Milky Way surprises scientists

(Dan Tri) - A supernova remnant with an almost perfectly circular shape has just been discovered in the Milky Way, challenging current understanding of stellar evolution and the cosmic environment.

Strange discovery from the "heart" of the galaxy

The shape of the newly discovered spherical supernova remnant (Photo: Space).

Recently, international astronomers announced a rare discovery: the remnant of a supernova explosion with an almost perfect shape, named Teleios - meaning "perfect" in ancient Greek.

This object was accidentally discovered by astrophysicist Miroslav Filipović (Western Sydney University) and his research team while processing data from the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) radio telescope - one of the most modern observation devices in the world today.

Teleios, also known as G305.4–2.2, is a shell of gas and dust left behind after a violent stellar explosion. Supernova remnants typically have chaotic shapes due to the interstellar medium or asymmetries in the explosion. However, Teleios is a striking exception.

According to the research team, this object has a roundness of up to 95.4% - almost perfect in terms of geometry, something that has previously only existed in ideal physical models.

“I have never seen anything like it,” Filipović said. “The perfection of Teleios’s shape is almost unbelievable. It evokes the image of an explosion that occurred under ideal physical conditions.”

Based on data from ASKAP and the Murchison Widefield Array, scientists estimate Teleios to be between 46 and 157 light years in diameter and between 7,175 and 25,114 light years from Earth. Its enormous size and great distance make determining the object's location and characteristics even more challenging.

Notably, Teleios lies about 2.2 degrees below the plane of the Milky Way – a region with low interstellar density, allowing the supernova remnant to expand evenly without being disturbed by gas or dust like conventional remnants.

Revealing the golden age of radio astronomy

Diagram showing Teleios' location in the Milky Way (Photo: Space).

Not only is Teleios amazing for its near-perfect shape, but it is also mysterious for the way it emits radiation. Unlike many supernova remnants, which are typically detected across the electromagnetic spectrum, such as visible light, X-rays, gamma rays, and infrared, Teleios only emits radio waves and a small amount of hydrogen-alpha emission.

This makes it much more complicated to determine the origin and formation mechanism of the object. One hypothesis is that Teleios could have originated from a Type Ia supernova, which occurs when a white dwarf in a binary star system accumulates enough mass and explodes. It is also possible that it was a Type Iax supernova, a rarer type that can leave behind a “zombie star,” meaning the core of the star has not been completely destroyed.

However, Teleios' current radiation properties do not exactly match any documented models, making it a fascinating mystery.

Teleios’s age is also a notable factor. Researchers believe that it may be a relic so ancient that most of the radiation at short wavelengths has faded, leaving only radio signals – the longest-lived form of radiation in the universe.

As scientists continue to analyze the data to learn more about the explosion's chemical composition, surroundings, and origin, Teleios has come to be seen as a prime example of the power of modern radio astronomy.

The rapid development of instruments such as ASKAP and MeerKAT is expanding the ability to observe the universe at an unprecedented level, promising to reveal many hidden mysteries in the Milky Way.

“This is a golden age for radio astronomy,” Filipović said. “We are entering a period where hundreds, if not thousands, of previously unrecorded supernova remnants may emerge, radically changing our understanding of stellar evolution and the history of the Milky Way itself.”

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/khoa-hoc/phat-hien-di-vat-giua-dai-ngan-ha-khien-gioi-khoa-hoc-kinh-ngac-20250530070349420.htm