NASA launched a new sounding rocket on Sunday to study a stellar event in the Cygnus Loop, which is a supernova remnant that took place 20,000 years ago. Cygnus is about 2,600 light years away from the Earth. The sounding rocket mission, named the Integral Field Ultraviolet Spectroscope Experiment (INFUSE) was launched from the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico on Oct 29. 

As per astronomers, a massive star, which was perhaps 20 times the size of the sun exploded in a supernova so bright that it was possibly seen from Earth. After this supernova, some matters of the explosion remain suspended in the universe, which is known to astronomers as the Cygnus Loop. The INFUSE mission will study the Cygnus Loop and try to understand the life cycle of stars. 

"Supernovae like the one that created the Cygnus Loop have a huge impact on how galaxies form," Brian Fleming of the University of Colorado Boulder, who is the principal investigator for the mission, said in a statement.

Cygnus Loop: Favourite spot of backyard astronomers and scientists

The constellation Cygnus (Latin for “swan”) used to appear every few months each year in the northern hemisphere’s night sky. Just above this constellation exists the favourite spot of professional scientists and backyard astronomers alike- the Cygnus Loop or the Veil Nebula.

The Cygnus Loop is the remnant of a star that was once 20 times the size of our Sun. Some 20,000 years ago, that star collapsed under its own gravity and erupted into a supernova. Even from 2,600 light-years away, astronomers estimate the flash of light would have been bright enough to see from Earth during the day.

As per astronomers and scientists, supernovae are part of a great life cycle. They spray heavy metals forged in a star’s core into the clouds of surrounding dust and gas. They are the source of all chemical elements in our universe heavier than iron, including those that make up our own bodies. 

What will INFUSE mission do?

The INFUSE mission is expected to collect information about the remnant for a few minutes from a height of 150 miles (240 km).

Specifically, the instrument will gather light streaming from the Cygnus Loop in far-ultraviolet wavelengths. 

"INFUSE will observe how the supernova dumps energy into the Milky Way by catching light given off just as the blast wave crashes into pockets of cold gas floating around the galaxy," Fleming said in the same statement. 

(With inputs from agencies)

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