A supernova is a powerful astronomical explosion that occurs during the later evolutionary stages of a massive star.
Specialists from the Weizmann Institute observed the previously hypothetical supernova of a massive Wolf-Rayet star, which, they noted, could lead to a new understanding of the planet’s life cycle and the eventual death of our own sun.
Scientists from the renowned Weizmann Institute of Science, in Israel, they detected the supernova of a massive Wolf-Rayet star, a phenomenon that until now was considered impossible.
This observation, detailed in a study published in the academic journal Nature, considers how this new phenomenon could change what we know about the universe, and how its massive stars will eventually die.
“Stars live and die like us. As they die, they create these heavier elements that we’re made of, like carbon and oxygen,” explained Rachel Bruch, a doctoral student and member of the Weizmann Institute of Science.
A supernova is a powerful astronomical explosion that occurs during the last evolutionary stages of a massive star., which then collapses into a neutron star or a black hole, or is simply completely destroyed.
“The special feature of this star is that it is very massive. Wolf-Rayet stars are particularly large and highly turbulent.”, Bruch maintained, adding that the turbulent winds push the “envelope of hydrogen and helium” that usually end up in the core of the supernova. The specialist stressed that such an explosion “has not been observed so far.”
“This is a new piece of the puzzle about how stars explode, giving us a new clue as to how their lives end,” he added.
“Some of the questions we all have are: how are we going to die? How will the sun end its life? These kinds of observations will map out possible outcomes,” Bruch concluded. (I)
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