Scientists have observed a rare peek into the interior of a dying star as it exploded, shedding new light on stellar evolution. Using telescopes that pierce deep into space, researchers spotted a supernova in our Milky Way galaxy, providing a unique opportunity to study the star’s inner layers.
A massive star’s life can last for millions or trillions of years, until its fuel runs out. The most massive ones end their lives with a spectacular explosion called a supernova. In this rare event, scientists usually observe only the outer layers of the star, making it difficult to understand its internal structure.
However, in the case of the newly discovered supernova, 2021yfj, researchers were able to see beyond these layers. The outermost hydrogen and helium layers had already been stripped away, a process that was expected but not seen before. This left behind the dense, innermost layers of silicon and sulfur.
“This has never been observed before,” said Steve Schulze from Northwestern University, who led the research team publishing their findings in Nature. “This basically confirms our understanding of the star’s layers.”
The discovery lends credence to scientists’ theories about how massive stars appear near the end of their lives. The star was stripped down to a bare minimum, allowing researchers to understand its internal structure.
While it is unclear how this star lost so much material, future research may provide answers. It is likely that such an event will be challenging to capture again, as scientists would need to observe a similar phenomenon.
Source: https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/scientists-rare-peek-inside-exploding-star-124813021