Astro Brief: A Distant Explosion

By Dr. Mike Reed

Published December 12, 2024 at 9:45 AM CST

This is an image of the star WOH G64, taken by the GRAVITY instrument on the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope Interferometer (ESO’s VLTI). This is the first close-up picture of a star outside our own galaxy, the Milky Way. The star is located in the Large Magellanic Cloud, over 160 000 light-years away. The bright oval at the centre of this image is a dusty cocoon that enshrouds the star. A fainter elliptical ring around it could be the inner rim of a dusty torus, but more observations are needed to confirm this feature.

A star in nearby galaxy may be on the brink of exploding.

WOH G64 is a massive star located in the Large Magellanic Cloud and is the first star outside of our galaxy to be photographed up close. The star was observed this year by Dr. Keiichi Ohnaka using the new GRAVITY instrument of the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope Interferometer. Though the massive star has been viewed for decades, recent findings suggest it may be preparing for a spectacular supernova explosion.

Join us this week as Mike discusses this amazing observation.

Astro Brief is a collaboration between KSMU, the Missouri Space Grant, and MSU's Department of Physics, Astronomy and Materials Science. Hosted by Dr. Mike Reed, Astro Brief focuses on astronomical events, the field of astronomy, and astronomy-related guests. It airs Thursdays at 9:45 am on KSMU.