Ever wondered what happens inside a star when it blows up? Thanks to an epic cosmic catch, researchers have had a front-row seat to a supernova like never before! 🌌🔭
Supernova 2021yfj, spotted in our own Milky Way galaxy, peeled back its layers so clearly that scientists could see straight to its core elements. It's like peeling the layers of your favourite biryani—rice, spices, and that juicy centre—except on a cosmic scale! 🥘😉 Normally, exploding stars mix up their layers in a messy swirl, but 2021yfj shed its hydrogen and helium jackets, then even the heavier silicon and sulfur inside.
"We have never observed a star that was stripped to this amount," says Steve Schulze from Northwestern University, lead author on the Nature paper. This peel-back confirms what textbooks have long suggested: big stars are stacked in layers of lighter elements at the outside and heavy stuff at the centre.
So how did this star get so bare? Theories include a violent pre-explosion fling or a close companion star stealing material. Future observations might solve this cosmic whodunit, though catching another stripped-down supernova could be a once-in-a-lifetime shot 🌠.
For us stargazers, this discovery is like unlocking a secret level in the universe's game—showing how heavy elements are cooked up and spread across space. Next time you look up, remember: every atom in your phone, your food, even you, comes from stars that once went supernova!
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
