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.

Source: The Nation January 09, 2022 06:02 UTC