A supernova, the explosive death of a massive star, has revealed unprecedented direct evidence of its internal structure just before its final moments. Observations of supernova SN2021YFJ show it had violently shed its outer layers,exposing material rich in silicon and sulfur,a phenomenon never before witnessed in such detail.
Stripped-Bare Star Offers Glimpse Into Stellar Demise
Astronomers witnessed a supernova that was practically stripped bare, offering a rare look at the deep interior of a massive star before its explosive end.
- supernova SN2021YFJ showed a surprisingly different chemical makeup than usual.
- The star lost its outer hydrogen, helium, and carbon layers before exploding.
- This deep exposure of silicon and sulfur has never been observed before.
- Researchers suggest current stellar evolution theories might potentially be too limited.
for years, scientists have theorized that massive stars are structured like an onion, with layers of increasingly heavy elements culminating in an iron core.This theory has been substantially bolstered by the study of SN2021YFJ,led by a team from Northwestern University and published in Nature. While most supernovae explosions leave behind signatures of lighter elements like hydrogen and helium, this particular event displayed a starkly different chemical composition.
The data from SN2021YFJ indicates that the star somehow lost its outer hydrogen,helium,and carbon layers. This left exposed the deeper,silicon- and sulfur-rich layers just moments before its catastrophic explosion. While some supernovae have revealed exposed helium or carbon layers after losing their outer hydrogen envelopes, observing such deep internal layers is a first.
“>hooked on the cosmos 😍
The Cygnus Loop is a supernova remnant left over from a massive stellar explosion that occurred 5,000 to 8,000 years ago.
See a new 3D visualization of the blast wave interacting with the stuff between the stars: https://t.co/RnY37n5dse pic.twitter.com/E3Vyn3NrvB
– In (@nasa) April 24, 2025
Researchers emphasize the importance of discovering more such rare supernovae to deepen our understanding of their nature and formation processes.
