April 29, 2026 report
Newly confirmed supernova remnant is one of the faintest ever detected
Tomasz Nowakowski
astronomy writer
Stephanie Baum
scientific editor
Robert Egan
associate editor
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An international team of astronomers reports the discovery of a new supernova remnant (SNR) using radio observations. The newfound supernova remnant, dubbed Abeona, is one of the faintest radio SNRs so far detected. The discovery is detailed in a research paper published April 21 on the arXiv preprint server.
SNRs are the remains of a supernova explosion, observed as diffuse, expanding structures. Studies indicate that SNRs harbor ejected material expanding from the supernova explosion. They also contain other interstellar material that has been swept up by the passage of the shockwave from the exploded star.
Named for a Roman goddess
Now, a team of astronomers led by Christopher Burger-Scheidlin of the Dunsink Observatory in Ireland reports the discovery of a new supernova remnant using the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP). The source, designated G310.7–5.4, was first identified as an SNR candidate in 2014. Burger-Scheidlin's team confirmed its SNR status and named it Abeona.
"Abeona, the goddess of outward journeys in Roman mythology, protected travelers on their departing paths. This SNR, its progenitor having wandered off the Galactic plane and into the Galactic halo, therefore carries her name," the scientists explained.
ASKAP confirms Abeona
Abeona was spotted by ASKAP as a faint, extended, bilateral radio shell of the size of around 30 arcminutes in diameter and with a radio flux density of 1.5 Jy. No infrared counterparts were detected, which strongly suggests non-thermal emission.
According to the paper, Abeona has a radio surface brightness at a level of 24,000 Jy/sr; thus, it turns out to be one of the faintest radio SNRs known to date. The physical size of this remnant is estimated to be around 137 light years and the distance to it was calculated to be some 16,000 light years. The remnant is located about 1,500 light years below the Galactic plane.
The observations found that the northern part of Abeona's shell showcases linearly polarized radio emission, characteristic of synchrotron emission. Moreover, there is a spatially overlapping gamma-ray source, designated 4FGL J1413.9–6705, which suggests that Abeona could be accelerating particles to high energies.
Origin and future observational prospects
Summing up the results, the authors of the paper noted that the galactic position of Abeona and the lack of an identified compact-object remnant indicate that its precursor was most likely a Type Ia supernova explosion. They added that Abeona is now the thirteenth object of a subset of SNRs off the Galactic plane showing significant high-energy emission.
"Supernova remnants at these high Galactic latitudes are ideal for testing cosmic ray acceleration and diffusion," the researchers concluded.
Written for you by our author Tomasz Nowakowski, edited by Stephanie Baum, and fact-checked and reviewed by Robert Egan—this article is the result of careful human work. We rely on readers like you to keep independent science journalism alive. If this reporting matters to you, please consider a donation (especially monthly). You'll get an ad-free account as a thank-you.
Publication details
Christopher Burger-Scheidlin et al, Radio detection of supernova remnant G310.7-5.4 with γ-ray counterpart: Abeona SNR, arXiv (2026). DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2604.19897
Journal information: arXiv
Key concepts
Transient & explosive astronomical phenomenaGamma-ray astronomyGalactic radio sourcesType Ia supernovae© 2026 Science X Network