Mysterious supernova remnant Teleios defies cosmic norms

An international research team, led by astrophysicist Miroslav Filipović from Western Sydney University, has identified an unusual object in our galaxy. Teleios, as this perfectly spherical bubble is known, is a remnant of a supernova explosion. This discovery is prompting many inquiries among scientists who are trying to understand its formation.

Analysis conducted by Filipović's team has shown that Teleios emits only in radio wavelengths. "All possible scenarios have their challenges, especially considering the lack of X-ray emission that is expected to be detectable given our evolutionary modelling," the scientists note in their paper. The most likely scenario is that Teleios is a remnant of a Type Ia supernova, but the absence of direct evidence prevents a definitive confirmation of this hypothesis.

Determining the distance to Teleios is challenging. Scientists are considering two possibilities: 2,191 parsecs or 7,678 parsecs. Each of these distances suggests a different evolutionary history for the object. "The lack of direct evidence prevents definitive confirmation of any scenario," the researchers add.

Teleios stands out for its almost perfect symmetry, which is rare among supernova remnants, which are typically asymmetrical. Scientists are planning further observations to understand this extraordinary object better. "While we deem the Type Ia scenario the most likely, we note that no direct evidence is available to definitively confirm any scenario and new sensitive and high-resolution observations of this object are needed," the researchers emphasise.

Though closer than other mysterious objects, such as Odd Radio Circles, Teleios remains a cosmic enigma. Its nearly perfect symmetry and lack of X-ray emissions present a challenge for scientists who are trying to unravel its mystery.