Astronomers watch red supergiant star explode for the first time

Astronomers watch red supergiant star explode for the first time
January 7, 2022

Astronomers watch red supergiant star explode for the first time News-red-supergiant

An artist’s impression of the star. Image Credit: W. M. Keck Observatory / Adam Makarenko
In a world first, astronomers have had the opportunity to watch a red supergiant exploding in real time.
It’s one of the most destructive events in the known universe – the demise of a supergiant star in the form of a colossal explosion of cosmic proportions – and now, for the first time, astronomers have been given a front-row seat to such an event happening right in front of their eyes.

The scientists first began to observe the star – which is situated 120 million light-years away in the NGC 5731 galaxy – back in summer 2020, but were surprised to discover a few months later that it had exploded.

By pulling together observations from multiple telescopes, the researchers were able to build up a picture of the supernova from before it exploded to a full year afterwards.

“This is a breakthrough in our understanding of what massive stars do moments before they die,” said study lead author Wynn Jacobson-Galan from the University of California Berkeley.
 
“For the first time, we watched a red supergiant star explode!”

The team is now hoping to spot further examples to help them learn more about supernovae.

“It’s like watching a ticking time bomb,” said study senior author Raffaella Margutti.

“We’ve never confirmed such violent activity in a dying red supergiant star where we see it produce such a luminous emission, then collapse and combust, until now.”

Source: Space.com
https://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/news/354231/astronomers-watch-red-supergiant-star-explode-for-the-first-time
Thanks to: https://www.unexplained-mysteries.com

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