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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>A nearby type 1a supernova has been in the news, the closest one since my own misspent youth in 1986. Back in those days, we were going nuts trying to figure out why the 1a supernovae seemed to detonate sooner than theory would suggest, about 1% or more too soon. In those benighted times, we were just getting computing hardware capable of 3D models, so we were still using the 2D models. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><br>The 2D models also predicted a more symmetrical explosion than nature demonstrated, so we knew at the time it had something to do with turbulence. Chaos theory was far less advanced in those days than it is today. Now these 3D models have shown that superheated ash plumes made of iron and nickel flow upward and initiate fusion in the lighter elements above.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>In the meantime, the 1a in M82 is putting on quite the show. It peaked yesterday at 10.5. Ohhhhh orgasm is this a cool time to be alive or what?<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://news.science360.gov/obj/pic-day/a4438f92-16d6-4f9a-9552-bb09fd7c480b/3-d-simulation-exploding-supernova">http://news.science360.gov/obj/pic-day/a4438f92-16d6-4f9a-9552-bb09fd7c480b/3-d-simulation-exploding-supernova</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://www.nsf.gov/news/mmg/mmg_disp.jsp?med_id=73842&from=mmg">http://www.nsf.gov/news/mmg/mmg_disp.jsp?med_id=73842&from=mmg</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>spike<o:p></o:p></p></div></body></html>