Scientists get a rare peek inside of an exploding star
4 days ago
- #astronomy
- #supernova
- #stellar-evolution
- Scientists observed the insides of a dying star during a supernova explosion for the first time.
- The supernova, named 2021yfj, was located in the Milky Way galaxy.
- The star's outermost layers of hydrogen and helium had peeled away, and its dense inner layers of silicon and sulfur were also shed during the explosion.
- This observation confirms theories about the layered structure of large stars near the end of their lives.
- It remains unclear how the star lost so many layers—whether violently or due to a twin star.
- Future research may provide more clues, but such events are rare and hard to capture.