US EditionFirst-of-Its-Kind Supernova Reveals Inner Workings of a Dying Star
The supernova SN2021yfj, located 2.2 billion light-years away, was stripped of lighter elements revealing heavy elements like silicon and sulfur, supporting star layering theories.
- Astrophysicists led by Steve Schulze identified and studied supernova SN2021yfj, a star stripped to its silicon- and sulfur-rich core, 2.2 billion light-years away in 2021.
- Their observations followed initial struggles due to telescope access and low data quality until a UC Berkeley colleague secured a critical spectrum the next morning.
- Spectroscopic analysis revealed the star lost its outer hydrogen, helium, and carbon layers long before explosion, confirming a layered onion-like structure with heavier elements near the core.
- Schulze remarked that this event represents an unprecedented observation of a star that had been nearly completely stripped, while Miller expressed that they had nearly missed the chance to make these important observations.
- This discovery, published on August 20, 2025 in Nature, challenges existing star evolution models and highlights the need to find more rare supernovae to better understand stellar deaths.
21 Articles
21 Articles
Rare Supernova Defies Textbooks and Reveals Inner Layers of a Dying Star
A rare cosmic explosion has revealed the hidden core of a massive star, stripped of its outer layers and bursting with silicon and sulfur. Named SN2021yfj, the supernova challenges long-standing theories and provides the first glimpse deep inside a dying stellar giant. A New Kind of Supernova An international collaboration led by astrophysicists at Northwestern [...]
Astronomers stunned by the strangest supernova ever seen
Scientists have identified a never-before-seen supernova, SN2021yfj, which exploded after losing nearly all of its outer layers. Instead of light elements, it revealed silicon and sulfur from deep within the star—direct proof of a layered stellar structure. The discovery challenges existing theories and suggests stars may die in more exotic ways than textbooks predict.
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