G1.9+0.3
Supernova remnant in the constellation of Sagittarius
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Through Constellation, Milky Way and Earth
Discovery
G1.9+0.3 was first identified as an SNR in 1984 from observations made with the VLA radio telescope. Because of its unusually small angular size, it was thought to be young—less than around 1,000 years old. In 2007, X-ray observations made with the Chandra X-ray Observatory revealed that the object was about 15% larger than in the earlier VLA observations. Further observations made with the VLA in 2008 verified increase in size, implying it is no more than 150 years old. A more recent estimate put its observable age at 110 years as of the data collection in 2008. That study also found that it was probably triggered by the merger of two white dwarf stars.
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Announcement
The discovery that G1.9+0.3 had been identified as the youngest-known Galactic SNR was announced on May 14, 2008 at a NASA press conference. In the days leading up to the announcement, NASA said that they were going "to announce the discovery of an object in our Galaxy astronomers have been hunting for more than 50 years." Before this discovery, the youngest-known Milky Way supernova remnant was Cassiopeia A, at about 330 years.