November 22, 2024: In a groundbreaking discovery, astronomers have captured the first-ever detailed image of a dying star located beyond our Milky Way galaxy. The star, WOH G64, lies approximately 160,000 light-years away in the Large Magellanic Cloud and is surrounded by an unusual, egg-shaped cocoon of gas and dust.
The image, taken with the GRAVITY instrument at the European Southern Observatory’s (ESO) Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) in Chile, reveals the star’s final stage of life. WOH G64, a massive red supergiant, is about 2,000 times the size of the Sun and is believed to be on the verge of a supernova a colossal explosion marking the end of a star’s lifecycle.
A Rare Glimpse of a Star’s Final Moments
“For the first time, we have succeeded in taking a zoomed-in image of a dying star in a galaxy outside our own Milky Way,” said Keiichi Ohnaka, lead author of the study and an astrophysicist at Universidad Andrés Bello, Chile.
The discovery sheds light on the mysterious processes of massive stars nearing their deaths. The surrounding cocoon of gas and dust, observed in an unexpected egg-shaped form, may indicate the intense shedding of material as the star approaches its final moments.
“This strange cocoon may be linked to drastic ejections of material from the dying star before its supernova explosion,” Ohnaka explained.
Two Decades of Research Comes Full Circle
Scientists have been studying WOH G64 for nearly 20 years. Early research in 2005 and 2007 using the VLTI offered insights into the star’s structure and characteristics. However, technological advancements with second-generation instruments at the observatory finally enabled this first detailed image.
Massive stars like WOH G64 emit energy equivalent to the Sun’s entire 10-billion-year lifetime in a single supernova explosion. While astronomers have observed such supernovas and identified stars responsible for them in archival images, capturing the precursor stage has remained elusive until now.
The unusual egg-like shape of the cocoon puzzled researchers, as it diverges from theoretical models. Scientists believe the shape could result from the star’s uneven shedding of material or perhaps the gravitational influence of an undetected companion star.
This discovery opens new doors for understanding the complex lives of massive stars and the phenomena surrounding their explosive deaths. “This material plays a key role in driving the questions of tomorrow,” said Ohnaka.
The findings highlight the transformative potential of modern astronomical tools like ESO’s VLTI, allowing humanity to peer into the intricate final stages of stellar evolution a process that both inspires and humbles observers.
With more advancements, researchers hope to decode the mysteries of dying stars like WOH G64, offering deeper insights into the vast and dynamic universe
