VIDEO: Astronomers Watch Red Supergiant 10X Bigger Than Our Sun Explode in Real Time for First Time Ever

VIDEO: Astronomers Watch Red Supergiant 10X Bigger Than Our Sun Explode in Real Time for First Time Ever
Courtesy of W. M. Keck Observatory/Adam Makarenko
Michael Wing
Updated:

A dying red supergiant star, 10 times more massive than our sun, has collapsed—and for the first time ever, Earth observatories have imaged a Type II supernova explosion in real time.

Astronomers at Hawaii’s Keck Observatory in the summer of 2020 were conducting the Young Supernova Experiment (YSE) transient survey when a bright light emanating from a red supergiant caught their attention. Closer inspection yielded the final 130-day chapter of a star’s cataclysmic demise.

Michael Wing
Michael Wing
Editor and Writer
Michael Wing is a writer and editor based in Calgary, Canada, where he was born and educated in the arts. He writes mainly on culture, human interest, and trending news.
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