Red supergiant star's death witnessed by astronomers for the first time: report - Fox News

According to a press release from Northwestern, the team observed the red supergiant during the last 130 days before it collapsed into a Type II supernova. .

These researchers, however, detected bright radiation from a red supergiant in the final year before exploding. .

"Direct detection of pre-supernova activity in a red supergiant star has never been observed before in an ordinary type II supernova.

The star was first detected in summer 2020 by the University of Hawaiʻi Institute for Astronomy Pan-STARRS and the group captured its flash a few months later. 

The data revealed evidence of dense circumstellar material around the star at the time of the explosion. 

Further monitoring post-explosion and additional data from Keck Observatory’s Deep Imaging and Multi-Object Spectrograph and Near Infrared Echellette Spectrograph helped researchers to determine SN 2020tlf’s progenitor red supergiant star was 10 times more massive than the sun

"Detecting more events like SN 2020tlf will dramatically impact how we define the final months of stellar evolution, uniting observers and theorists in the quest to solve the mystery on how massive stars spend the final moments of their lives."