Amateur astronomer Bray Falls has discovered a new supernova remnant, PSNR G320+42—nicknamed the “Crown of Thorns”—in the constellation Virgo. What makes this find so remarkable is its location: 42° away from the plane of the Milky Way, far from the dense stellar regions where supernova remnants are typically found.
Supernova remnants, clouds of gas and dust left behind after a star explodes, are usually concentrated within 10° of the galactic plane. The “Crown of Thorns” defies that trend, making this an extraordinary discovery. Falls spent 90 hours capturing exposures over two months, focusing on parts of the sky that are often overlooked.
This finding could reshape scientists’ understanding of how supernovae are distributed throughout the universe. Remnants like PSNR G320+42 are crucial to studying the chemical evolution of galaxies, as they contain elements forged in stellar explosions. Future radio observations with telescopes such as the SKA may uncover more of these “outlier” remnants beyond the expected zones.
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