The discovery reveals new details about how red supergiants evolve just before going supernova, potentially allowing astronomers to detect them in the future.
Summary
- Astronomers have for the first time imaged the last moments in the life of a red supergiant star.
- “This is a breakthrough in our understanding of what massive stars do moments before they die,” said Dr Wynn Jacobson-Galán, lead author of the study.
- “Direct detection of pre-supernova activity in a red supergiant star has never been observed before in an ordinary Type II supernova.
- “For the first time, we watched a red supergiant star explode!”
- AdvertisementScientists figure out when red supergiant Betelgeuse will go supernovaImage: An artist’s impression of the red supergiant seen just before it exploded.