An international team of researchers with the participation of Dr Mariusz Gromadzki from the Astronomical Observatory of the University of Warsaw (UW) has identified a previously unknown source of cosmic dust. The observed phenomenon is due to the interaction of matter ejected during a Type Ia supernova explosion with the surrounding circumstellar gas. The discovery is described in Nature Astronomy.

During a systematic and almost three-year-long monitoring of supernova SN 2018evt, astronomers noticed that as the object’s brightness decreased rapidly in the visible range, it gradually became brighter in infrared light. This is a clear indication that after the shock generated during the supernova explosion passed through, the gas that had accumulated there before the explosion cooled rapidly and dust began to form. This is the first time the rapid formation of dust in the gas around a Type Ia supernova has been observed.

More than a dozen telescopes deployed around the globe and in space were used to monitor supernova SN 2018evt.