V Sagittae’s violent mass transfer hints at an imminent nova—and a future supernova visible from Earth. Binary star systems are fairly common in the universe, as are pairs where one star is a compact ...

Artist’s drawing of SN 2021yfj. Having lost its outer layers, the dying star was left with only a core of oxygen, sulfur and silicon (bright center dot) but continued to experience extreme mass loss ...

The early stages of a supernova explosion are revelatory in what they can reveal about stars that go boom. But while catching them immediately after they detonate has proven largely elusive, ...

For a cosmic adrenaline rush, it’s hard to beat a supernova. It happens when a star detonates at the end of its life, blasting gases and other debris outward with unimaginable violence. The explosion ...

For the first time, astronomers have obtained visual evidence that a star met its end by detonating twice. By studying the centuries-old remains of supernova SNR 0509-67.5 with the European Southern ...

“The explosions of white dwarfs play a crucial role in astronomy,” said Priyam Das, a study co-author and PhD student at the University of New South Wales Canberra, Australia. “Yet, despite their ...

In November 1572, a brilliant new star appeared in the constellation Cassiopeia, shining so brightly that it was visible during the day. Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe carefully documented this ...