New findings from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory have provided a major advance in understanding a type of supernova critical for studying the dark energy that astronomers think pervades the universe. The results show mergers of two dense stellar remnants are the likely cause of many of the supernovae that have been used to measure the accelerated expansion of the universe. These supernovae -- Type Ia -- serve as cosmic mile markers to measure expansion of the universe because they can be seen at large distances and they follow a reliable pattern of brightness. Scientists have been unsure what actually causes the explosions -- until now.
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