California observatory spots dying star 10,000 times brighter than the sun before explosion in a spiral galaxy 160m light years from constellation of Pegasus
Astronomers have captured the early death throes of a massive star that was torn apart in a violent explosion in a galaxy far from Earth.
The star was already 10,000 times brighter than the sun when it collapsed in a supernova that made it shine so intensely it was visible from modern telescopes in orbit and on the ground.
Using an observatory on Palomar Mountain near San Diego, California, scientists spotted the brilliant flash of the explosion within three hours of it reaching Earth. They immediately alerted other telescope operators who swiftly turned their instruments on the stellar wreckage.
Thought to be a red supergiant more than 10 times the mass of the sun and several hundred times larger, the star detonated in a spiral galaxy named NGC7610 which sits 160m light years away in the constellation of Pegasus.