Star Explosion Highlights "Purple Rose of Virgo"

According to the scientists, star explosions can strike twice in the same place. NGC 5584 galaxy, for the second time in 11 years, has been showing that it is the brightly coloured home of supernova.

NGC 5584 is located 75 million light years away. It is in the direction of the constellation Virgo and it is slightly smaller, however similar in shape to our own Milky Way. It is called the "purple rose" and scientists suspect that it houses a massive and energetic black hole in the middle of it. However, here is the catch. You thought this is bright? Think again. SN 2007af's center is trying to outshine it and it has so far. Scientists say that it is the brightest supernova seen so far. It is located to the right and below the NGC 5584's center. The explosion of it was detected by European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope on March 1. This supernova is called Type 1a supernova. Scientists have known for years now that these supernovas occur in binary systems: a white dwarf takes all the matter from its companion. Because it gains so much mass, the white dwarf dies under pressure: this causes a big explosion sending off excess matter as far as 9,300 miles (15,000 km) per second. The explosion that happened 11 years ago, however, was more baffling to scientists and still until this day they do not know what caused it. There is more to come from this galaxy soon. Astronomers say that the luminous patches dotting NGC 5584's disk are stellar nurseries, where new stars are being formed at a prodigious rate. Just look at the colour of that thing. I have never seen a purple supernova before so it really amazing to me. Even more baffling is that two explosions happened in the same place. Think of it this way: two sisters trying to outcompete each other. One of them takes all the matter away from the other but realizes that it can't hold onto it because it is smaller so it collapses under pressure and causes "fireworks." It is mesmerizing.