According to the article published in the Astrophysical Journal, researchers from Northwestern University and the University of California have observed the last 130 days of the red supergiant star, 120 million light-years from Earth.
LAST 130 DAYS OBSERVED
A very luminous red supergiant star was detected in the sky in 2020 by the University of Hawaii Institute of Astronomy. Astronomers were alarmed when light from supernova SN2020tlf reached Earth on September 16, using multiple telescopes to observe the last 130 days of the star in many wavelengths.
Using the WM Keck Observatory’s Low Resolution Imaging Spectrometer on Maunakea, Hawaii, astronomers have found direct evidence of the dense stellar environment material surrounding the star during the eruption.
Scientists stated that giant-mass stars move quite freely in the last years of their evolution, but their new observations show that some stars have undergone serious changes in their internal structures recently.
The lead author of the study, Wynnn Jacobson-Galan, stated that his observations were an important milestone in their understanding of the last moments of giant-mass stars before they die. “In a red supergiant star, pre-supernova activity was not directly observed. For the first time, we watched a supergiant star explode.” used the phrase.
(AA)