Astronomers observe a massive star's final "hiccuping" stages, confirming theories on how huge stars explode.

Astronomers, including a team from Queen's University Belfast, have observed a rare "hiccuping" star, 150 times the mass of the sun, in its final stages before explosion. The star underwent extreme pulses due to a process called Pulsational Pair Instability (PPI), where its hot core rapidly contracts and expands. This confirmed theoretical predictions and provides insights into how massive stars function and shape the universe. The findings were published in the Astrophysical Journal.

3 months ago
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