SANTIAGO, Chile – In a groundbreaking discovery, astronomers have captured detailed images of a star surrounded by an egg-shaped cocoon located beyond the Milky Way. This marks the first time that a star in another galaxy has been observed in such detail, thanks to the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI).

Dr. Keiichi Ohnaka, an astrophysicist at the Andrés Bello National University in Chile, expressed excitement over the discovery, noting the unique features of the star’s cocoon. The star, known as WOH G64, is situated 160,000 light years away in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way. Classified as a red supergiant and approximately 2,000 times the mass of the sun, WOH G64 is believed to be the largest star in this galaxy.

Recent images of the star reveal a significant transition, indicating that it has shed its outer layer in the past decade. The cocoon surrounding WOH G64 is believed to be a prelude to a supernova explosion, a stage that signals the star’s final moments. Dr. Jacco van Loon of Keele University emphasized the significance of these observations, highlighting the rarity of witnessing a star’s evolution towards its demise in real time.

The elongated shape of the cocoon could be attributed to the star’s rotation or the influence of an unseen companion star. This phenomenon presents a unique opportunity for astronomers to study the final stages of a massive star’s life cycle, gaining insights into the explosive nature of supernovae. Despite the dramatic changes observed in WOH G64, the actual supernova event may still be thousands of years away, given the lifespan of stars in the cosmic scale.

The breakthrough in capturing detailed images of WOH G64 opens up new avenues for studying the dynamics of dying stars and the mechanisms leading to supernova explosions. This discovery underscores the importance of advanced telescopic technologies in unraveling the mysteries of the universe and shedding light on the cosmic phenomena occurring beyond the confines of our own galaxy. As astronomers continue to monitor WOH G64 and similar stars, the potential for further insights into the life and death of massive celestial bodies remains a compelling area of research in the field of astrophysics.