We watched a red supergiant explode to ordinary type II supernova

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SUMMARY

The red supergiant star SN 2020tlf, located in the NGC 5731 galaxy, exhibited suspicious activity 130 days prior to its transformation into a type II supernova. This event marks a significant advancement in understanding the final moments of massive stars, as stated by lead study author Wynn Jacobson-Galán from the University of California, Berkeley. The findings are detailed in a technical report published in "The Astrophysical Journal." For further insights, a popular article on CNN provides an overview of this astronomical phenomenon.

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Tom.G
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First suspicious activity of SN 2020tlf (in the NGC 5731 galaxy) was noted 130 days prior, which prompted astronomers to keep an eye on it.

"This is a breakthrough in our understanding of what massive stars do moments before they die," said lead study author Wynn Jacobson-Galán, a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow at University of California, Berkeley, in a statement.

Popular version:
https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/06/world/red-supergiant-star-supernova-scn/index.html

Technical report in "The Astrophysical Journal":
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/ac3f3a

EDIT: See more in post #3 below.

Cheers,
Tom
 
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HA HA this was almost eclipsed by that old prima donna JST. We have to be thankful that someone was still running the shop whilst we were all focussed on L2.
 
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Wonder what exactly it was doing before the superno a. All i read was "broght radiation".