Star fragment flies away from our galaxy at nearly two million miles per hour

Scientists have just spotted one of the fastest stars known to date, and it could provide valuable answers about the cosmos. Martha stewart (yes, really) reports that researchers at Boston University studied a star fragment of a supernova, LP 40-365, emerging from the Milky Way galaxy at nearly 2 million MPH. While in itself relatively rare, the researchers also noticed that it spins abnormally slowly for a supernova remnant at 8.9 hours for a full spin.

The team determined that the repeated and rapid changes in brightness were likely due to the rotation of the surface in view. All stars rotate, but this process is sped up for all star pieces surviving a violent explosion like this.

The sighting provided clues to the probable origins of the fragment. LP 40-365 was probably part of a white dwarf star “feeding” on the mass of a partner in a binary system. As both stars were spinning so closely and so quickly, both were likely to be thrown outward when LP’s 40-365 star exploded.

The star’s makeup could also provide information. Intact stars are normally made of hydrogen and helium, but the rest is mostly metal. The supernova’s reactions produced more complex elements, the researchers said.

The glow represents a rare opportunity to study a phenomenon that science was only ready to consider a few years ago. It also provides a more complete picture of how supernovas behave – they’ve never been tidy, but it’s now clearer just how messy they can be.