Astronomers have captured striking new images of the supernova remnant Pa 30, revealing pearl-like chains of glowing knots never seen before.

The images were taken with the Gemini North telescope on Mauna Kea in Hawaii, one of the world's premier astronomical sites. They are the highest-resolution views of Pa 30 to date.

Pa 30 is the remnant of a Type Iax supernova, a rare kind of stellar explosion. The new observations show knots of material arranged in pearl-like chains, giving astronomers fresh clues about how the explosion unfolded.

The findings were published in The Astrophysical Journal in 2026. The team hopes Pa 30's distinctive features will help them find similar remnants elsewhere.

"Astronomy has entered the big data era," said researcher Cunningham. "Our findings will help us screen through the enormous datasets."

Resolving such remnants is only possible in our own galaxy and a few nearby ones. Distant supernovae appear only as points of light.

The team plans to use Pa 30's properties to search the Milky Way and nearby galaxies for similar objects. Many questions about this unusual remnant remain open, and the new images give astronomers their best look yet.