First glimpse of 30-Sun-mass star exploding captured by astronomers

A combination of images show the evolution of supernova SN 2026gzf, which was first detected by the Einstein Probe on March 21, 2026. Images taken on March 25 and April 3, 2026, show the supernova brightening. An archival image of the host galaxy from March 9, 2016, reveals a bright blue source at the location of the supernova, which scientists say likely represents a compact, extreme star-forming region in the host galaxy, combined with pre-explosion activity of the star before its death. CTIO/NOIRLab/DOE/NSF/AURA Image Processing: D. de Martin & M. Zamani (NSF NOIRLab)/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. MANDATORY CREDIT In March, a brief flash of X-rays lit up the sky in a distant galaxy. It lasted only moments, but it carried a profound message: a star had just begun to die.That fleeting signal, detected by China’s Einstein Probe space telescope, marked the first sign of a supernova, the explosive death of a massive star, and it gave astronomers an unprecedented opportunity. For the first time in nearly two decades, researchers were able to observe the entire process, from the initial shock breakout to the fading glow ...