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

  • Thread starter Thread starter Tom.G
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Supernova Type
Click For Summary
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.
Tom.G
Science Advisor
Gold Member
Messages
5,661
Reaction score
4,504
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
 
Last edited:
Reply
  • Like
  • Informative
Likes collinsmark, Astronuc, sophiecentaur and 9 others
Astronomy news on Phys.org
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".
 

Thread 'Population 3 star (Pop III) candidate LAP1'

"Pop III stars are thought to be composed entirely of helium and hydrogen with trace amounts of lithium, the ingredients left over after the Big Bang. They formed early on, around 200 million years after the universe began. These stars are extremely rare because they died out long ago, although scientists have hoped that the faint light from these distant, ancient objects would be detectable. Previous Population III candidates have been ruled out because they didn't meet the three main...
View full post »