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Do you know what a supernova is? It is one of the greatest discoveries of mankind.
Supernovae are extremely luminous and cause a burst of radiation that often briefly outshine an entire galaxy, before fading from view over several weeks or months. During this short interval, a supernova can radiate as much energy as the Sun could emit over its entire life span.

NASA will hold a teleconference with reporters at 1 p.m. EST on Wednesday, Feb. 17, to discuss the latest Chandra X-ray Observatory findings that advance our understanding of certain supernovae. This research is critical for studying dark energy, which astronomers believe pervades the universe.

The panelists are:
– Marat Gilfanov, astrophysicist, Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics, Garching, Germany
– Akos Bogdan, astrophysicist, Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics
– Mario Livio, astrophysicist, Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore

To reserve a telephone line, journalists should e-mail their name, media affiliation and telephone number to J.D. Harrington at:
j.d.harrington@nasa.gov

Audio of the teleconference will be streamed live on NASA’s Web site at:
http://www.nasa.gov/newsaudio

For more information about NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/chandra
Source: Headquarters, Washington (http://www.nasa.gov)