For the first time, astronomers were able to witness the explosive end of a giant star as it happened.
The first real-time look at the death of a red supergiant star was facilitated by ground-based telescopes.
The star, which is located in the NGC 5731 galaxy about 120 million light-years away from Earth, was 10 times bigger than Sun before it burst out.
The death of a star is one of the most dramatic and violent events in space and astronomers had an unprecedented front-row seat to the explosive end of a
"This is a breakthrough in our understanding of what massive stars do moments before they die." It's much easier for scientists to see the messy aftermath of stellar explosions than to watch the prelude to the drama. But finally, astronomers.
The death of a star is one of the most dramatic and violent events in space and astronomers had an unprecedented front-row seat to the explosive end of a stellar giant.