All articles tagged with #supernova
New research finds that WOH G64, one of the universe’s largest stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud, shifted from a red supergiant to a yellow hypergiant around 2014, likely shedding mass as its core contracts and heats. If confirmed, this rapid evolution could herald an imminent supernova, offering a rare chance to observe a star dying in real time.
Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope under the VENUS program have identified two gravitationally lensed supernovas, SN Ares and SN Athena. The foreground galaxy cluster MJ0308 splits their light into multiple images; the delayed images will reach Earth in the future—Ares in about 60 years and Athena within the next 1–2 years—providing a rare, self-consistent way to measure cosmic distances and constrain the Hubble constant, potentially helping resolve the ongoing disagreement over the universe’s expansion rate.
A 13-solar-mass yellow supergiant in the Andromeda Galaxy (M31-2014-DS1) brightened in 2014 but faded by 2018 without a canonical supernova. Two studies offer competing explanations: one proposes a failed supernova—a direct collapse into a black hole shrouded in dust that hides X‑ray emissions—leaving a faint red source surrounded by a dust shell. A second team questions this, noting no X‑ray activity and suggesting a stellar merger could produce the observed infrared glow and dust, with the central source possibly reappearing as the dust dissipates. Ongoing JWST observations and further monitoring are needed to confirm whether the star collapsed invisibly, merged, or will brighten again.
Scientists detected a powerful gamma-ray burst from a supernova that exploded when the universe was only 730 million years old, making it the most distant such event ever observed. The discovery, confirmed by multiple telescopes including JWST, challenges previous assumptions about early star formation, showing that even in the universe's infancy, stars could undergo processes similar to those seen today.
A NASA timelapse video showcases 25 years of expansion of Kepler's Supernova remnant, revealing rapid changes in the explosion's debris, which helps astronomers understand supernova dynamics and element distribution in the universe.
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope observations suggest Betelgeuse has a hidden companion star named Siwarha, which influences its brightness variations and may help explain its dimming behavior, providing insights into the star's evolution and potential supernova event.
NASA's Earth Observatory highlights the Large Magellanic Cloud, a nearby dwarf galaxy rich in star formation, captured from the International Space Station, offering insights into stellar life cycles and cosmic phenomena like supernovae.
Recent studies suggest that dark energy, which is driving the universe's expansion, may be weakening, potentially leading to a reversal of expansion and a possible 'Big Crunch' instead of the previously believed continuous acceleration. This challenges current cosmological models and has sparked significant debate among astronomers.
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has observed the oldest supernova, GRB 250314A, dating back to when the universe was only 730 million years old, providing new insights into early star deaths and galaxy formation.
The article explores various astronomical explanations for the 'Christmas Star,' including a bright comet from 5 BCE, a supernova observed in 4 BCE, and planetary conjunctions, but concludes that the true nature of the star remains uncertain, possibly a symbolic story rather than a real event.
Astronomers have observed a rare stellar explosion, dubbed AT2025ulz, which appears to be a 'superkilonova'—a complex event involving both a supernova and a kilonova, resulting from the birth and merger of two neutron stars, challenging existing theories and potentially marking only the second such detection.
Astronomers may have observed the first confirmed 'superkilonova,' a rare cosmic explosion that combines features of supernovae and kilonovae, involving a potential merger of neutron stars following a supernova, indicated by the unusual event AT2025ulz detected in 2025.
Scientists using the James Webb Space Telescope may have discovered the most distant supernova to date, occurring when the universe was only 730 million years old, providing new insights into early star and galaxy evolution and confirming predictions about high-energy cosmic events.
Scientists using the James Webb Space Telescope may have discovered the earliest supernova in the universe, occurring just 730 million years after the Big Bang, providing new insights into early star and galaxy evolution, and potentially marking the most distant supernova observed to date.
Scientists are puzzled by iPTF14hls, a star that has repeatedly exploded over decades, defying current supernova models. The star, located 509 million light-years away, has exploded at least six times, with debris expanding unusually slowly and retaining hydrogen, which contradicts existing theories. Various hypotheses, including antimatter reactions and 'zombie star' scenarios, are being considered as explanations, but no consensus has been reached.