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This is supernova SN 2022aajn as observed by the Hubble. It's the small blue dot near the center of the image. The space telescope is examining this SN and 99 other Type Ia SN to refine our understanding of standard candles. Image Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, R. J. Foley
The Cosmic Distance Ladder is ubiquitous in cosmology and does a good job. However, it still faces some problems.
The program’s name gives a good idea of its goal. It’s named “Reducing Type Ia Supernova Distance Biases by Separating Reddening and Intrinsic Color.” Prof. Ryan Foley of the University of California at Santa Cruz is the Principal Investigator. “Accurate distance measurements and unbiased cosmological constraints from Type Ia supernovae rely on proper correction for host-galaxy dust reddening that may attenuate the observed SN brightness,”. To get around this, astronomers use what’s called a “reddening law.” “A correction is made by comparing observed and intrinsic color, and using a reddening law to determine
“This issue is currently SN cosmology’s largest systematic uncertainty and if not addressed will prevent future cosmology experiments from meeting their goals,” Foley explains. He also says that the error can be as large as about 6%. That’s a lot when measuring objects that are hundreds of millions of light-years away, and even much further than that.
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