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Type Ia Supernovae are Standard Candles

TNRTB Archive – Retain for reference information

New x-ray observations have confirmed the validity of one tool scientists use to measure fine-tuning in the universe. Scientists believe that all type Ia supernovae occur in a particular type of double-star system in which a white-dwarf star consumes matter blown off of the other star and detonates upon reaching a critical mass. Because this critical mass is the same for all stars, all these supernovae exhibit the same brightness, which permits astronomers to determine the distance to any given supernova. These distances are vital for determining the expansion history of the universe. The x-ray satellite SWIFT recently detected x-rays from one of these supernovae, confirming the presence of material from the companion star surrounding the detonating white dwarf. Observations from these double-star systems first indicated the presence of the tremendously fine-tuned dark energy—the self-stretching property of the universe. Consequently, these results further buttress RTB’s cosmic creation model, which predicts such fine-tuning in the universe.