I We watched a red supergiant explode to ordinary type II supernova

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Astronomers observed the red supergiant SN 2020tlf in the NGC 5731 galaxy, noting suspicious activity 130 days before its transition to a Type II supernova. This event marks a significant advancement in understanding the behavior of massive stars prior to their explosive deaths. Lead study author Wynn Jacobson-Galán emphasized the importance of these observations for astrophysical research. The findings are detailed in a technical report published in "The Astrophysical Journal." This breakthrough offers new insights into stellar evolution and supernova mechanisms.
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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.
 
Wonder what exactly it was doing before the superno a. All i read was "broght radiation".
 

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