Astronomers have discovered a rare space explosion that sheds light on how elements used to form life on Earth are forged inside stars. The event, known as SN 2021yfj, is unlike any other supernova observed before, revealing the star’s layered structure for the first time.
Researchers at Northwestern University led by astrophysicist Steve Schulze detected the explosion from data collected by the Zwicky Transient Facility survey and further analyzed it using observations from the Keck Observatory. The team estimated that the star was around 60 times more massive than our sun, which is unusually large for a supernova.
Contrary to previous findings, the star’s layers were stripped away over thousands of years before exploding, providing scientists with valuable insights into its structure. This discovery aligns with the long-held theory that stars have an onion-like layered composition, with lighter elements in the outer layers and increasingly heavier chemicals at the core.
This rare event has significant implications for our understanding of star formation and the origins of life on Earth, which is composed of elements forged inside stars. The findings were published recently in Nature, offering a new perspective on how our universe came to be.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/20/science/supernova-layers-elements.html