Scientists Capture Rare Glimpse of a Star’s Final Moments
For the first time, astronomers have directly observed the inner layers of a dying star as it exploded, offering groundbreaking insights into how massive stars end their lives.
Supernovae – the powerful explosions that mark the death of large stars – are common in space, but their violent bursts usually make it difficult to study a star’s inner structure. This time, however, scientists were able to see a much clearer picture.
Supernova 2021yfj: A Unique Discovery
The breakthrough came from observations of supernova 2021yfj, located within the Milky Way galaxy. Unlike typical stellar explosions, this event revealed distinct, unjumbled layers inside the star, providing researchers with a rare window into stellar evolution.
Astronomers found that while the outer layers of hydrogen and helium had already disappeared, the deeper layers of silicon and sulfur were also shed during the blast – a phenomenon not seen before.
A Star Stripped to Its Core
“We have never observed a star stripped to this extent,” explained Steve Schulze of Northwestern University, who co-authored the study published in Nature.
The discovery confirms long-standing theories that large stars are organized in layers, with lighter elements on the outside and heavier elements like silicon closer to the core.
What Happens Next?
Researchers are still unsure how the star lost so many of its layers. Some suggest it may have been violently ejected during the final stages of its life, while others believe a companion star may have pulled them away.
“Because so many of the layers had been stripped off, this basically confirmed what those layers were,” said Anya Nugent of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, who was not involved in the study.
Looking Ahead
Although scientists hope to study similar events in the future, they admit that capturing such a clear view of a dying star may be extremely rare. Still, discoveries like supernova 2021yfj give astronomers a better understanding of how the universe recycles elements and how stars shape the cosmos.
