When very large stars run out of fuel and reach the end of their lives, they can explode in massive, dramatic events called supernovas. Now, astronomers have observed a red supergiant star going supernova for the first time, catching a glimpse of the massive star’s final moments of life. “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!”An artist’s impression of a red supergiant star in the final year of its life emitting a tumultuous cloud of gas. It is of particular interest to researchers as it was so active before exploding, while previously observed red supergiants have been relatively calm before going supernova.
