Stunning Image of Supernova Remnant Processed by New Australian Supercomputer




Researchers have analyzed a number of radio telescope data, including a highly detailed image of a supernova remnant, within 24 hours of accessing the first stage of Australia's newest supercomputing machine.

New-generation radio telescopes like ASKAP (Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder) require extremely powerful software running on supercomputers to handle their extremely high data rates and massive data volumes.

Here, the Pawsey Supercomputing Research Center enters the picture with its recently released supercomputer, Setonix, named after Western Australia's favorite animal, the quokka (Setonix brachyurus).

The national science agency of Australia, CSIRO, runs ASKAP, which is made up of 36 dish antennas that act as one telescope. The observational data it collects is sent by high-speed optical fibers to the Pawsey Centre for processing and conversion into research-ready pictures.

We have now successfully shown the integration of our processing software ASKAPsoft on Setonix, replete with jaw-dropping graphics, marking a significant step toward full implementation.

Leftovers from a fading star

A magnificent photograph of G261.9+5.5, a cosmic phenomenon known as a supernova remnant, is an intriguing result of this activity.

This object in our galaxy, which is thought to be more than a million years old and is situated 10,000–15,000 light-years from Earth, was initially identified as a supernova remnant by CSIRO radio astronomer Eric R. Hill in 1967 using data from the Parkes Radio Telescope in Murriyang.

Supernova remnants (SNRs) are the byproducts of ferocious star-death events. When an explosion occurs, material is propelled into the surrounding interstellar medium at supersonic speeds, sweeping up gas and other objects in its path and compressing and heating them as it goes.

The interstellar magnetic fields would likewise be compressed by the shockwave. High-energy electrons trapped in these compressed fields are what are responsible for the emissions we saw in our radio picture of G261.9+5.5. They include details about the star's past, as well as features of the interstellar space around it.

The deep ASKAP radio image structure of this remnant makes it possible to examine it and the physical characteristics of the interstellar medium (such magnetic fields and high-energy electron concentrations) in unprecedented detail.

Testing a supercomputer's capabilities

Although analyzing the data from ASKAP's astronomical surveys is an excellent method to stress-test the supercomputer system, including the hardware and processing software, the image of SNR G261.9+05.5 may be stunning to look at.

Since the supernova remnant's intricate characteristics would make processing more difficult, we decided to include it in our early testing.

Even with a supercomputer, processing data is a difficult task since different processing strategies can lead to a variety of problems. For instance, to create the image of the SNR, data collected at hundreds of various frequencies (or colors, if you want) were combined, giving us a composite perspective of the item.

The particular frequencies, however, also contain a wealth of information. Making photographs at each frequency is frequently required to extract that information, which uses more computational power and demands more storage space on a digital device.

Although Setonix has the capability to do such intensive processing, one major difficulty would be to determine the supercomputer's stability under the constant pressure of such massive volumes of data.

The tight cooperation between the Pawsey Centre and the ASKAP scientific data processing team members was essential to this swift initial presentation. Together, we were able to swiftly identify solutions and get a deeper understanding of these problems.

These findings imply that we will be able to learn more, for instance, from the ASKAP data.

To come: more

However, this is only the first of Setonix's two installation phases; the second is anticipated to be finished later this year.

This will speed up the processing of the enormous volumes of data that data teams get from various projects. In turn, it will not only help scientists comprehend the universe better but also surely reveal new things that have been hiding in the radio sky. Setonix will allow us to investigate a wide range of scientific problems in a shorter amount of time, which offers us a world of opportunities.

This boost in computing power benefits not just ASKAP but also all Australian scientists and engineers that have access to Setonix.

ASKAP, which is winding up a number of trial surveys and will shortly conduct much larger and deeper scans of the sky, is ramping up to full operation at the same time as the supercomputer.

The supernova remnant is only one of the numerous characteristics we have so far discovered, and there will no doubt be many more breathtaking photos and new celestial objects found in the near future.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Nuclear War Could Starve Billions, But One Country May Be Safer Than The Rest

Image
It all begins with a lone mushroom-shaped cloud that everyone had prayed would never appear again. Tit-for-tat attacks are sparked by retaliation, each of which aims to put an end to this most recent War of All Wars, until, around a week later, Earth starts to tremble under a veil of smoke and dust. Scenarios that map and estimate the destruction caused by a nuclear winter have existed since the Cold War dominated the evening news. Years later, we have a far better understanding of the more subtle consequences of airborne particles on our crops. And the numbers are still depressing. Six scenarios have been put up by a group of scientists from across the world using the most recent information on crop yields and fishery resources to approximate what food supplies may look like following a quickly intensifying nuclear battle between warring states. The death rate from a caloric scarcity problem alone might exterminate the majority of the world's population, leaving aside the immediat...
Read more

Plants Have Been Keeping a Secret From Us About How Thirsty They Actually Are

Image
Have you ever wondered why plants require water or how much water they actually need to grow? Plants require up to 300 grams of water to produce every gram of dry plant matter because they lose a lot of water when they absorb carbon dioxide from the environment. However, things don't have to be that way. In a recent research published in Nature Plants, we describe a natural trick that, in the long run, may be exploited to encourage plant growth while utilizing less water. a component that is necessary for plant development About 80% of the weight of plants is composed of water. Therefore, it stands to reason that plants would require around four grams of water for every gram of dry mass in order to hydrate themselves to their optimal levels. It might be the case, however they require much more water to flourish. A plant requires around 300 grams of water to create one gram of new dry mass. Why is there such a big discrepancy between how much water is needed for development and how ...
Read more

It Really Is in Your Head: Thinking Hard and Long Can Cause Brain Drain

Image
Wallace D. Wattles, an American author from the 19th century, reportedly remarked that "Thinking is the toughest and most demanding of all labor." On the surface, it would seem like a problematic comparison, but according to a recent research, thinking too hard or for too long can actually exhaust your brain, just like working out can. Hard physical work is undoubtedly exhausting, but a person's perspiration or trembling muscles reveal nothing about how hard they may be thinking. We just have to take people at their word when they claim they're psychologically worn out. As a result, researchers are still puzzled as to why sustained contemplation leads to cognitive weariness. It isn't really a feeling of being sleepy; rather, it is the impression that tasks are becoming more difficult to finish or to concentrate on. The brain's most prevalent excitatory neurotransmitter, according to some studies, may be to responsible for this lack of mental stamina. Despite b...
Read more