Scientists Say a Massive Star Has Mysteriously Disappeared - VOA Learning English

Astronomers say a massive star appears to have mysteriously disappeared from a distant galaxy.

The star is part of the Kinman Dwarf galaxy, also known as PHL 293B.

Images of the Kinman Dwarf galaxy were captured in the past by a camera attached to NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope.

Astronomers had, however, identified important “signatures,” or signs, that the massive star existed.

A team of scientists from the European Southern Observatory reported it had been observing the star with its Very Large Telescope, VLT, for at least 10 years.

The team said its observations repeatedly showed evidence that the Kinman Dwarf galaxy contained the massive star, estimated to be about 2.5 million times brighter than our sun.

Allan said the researchers wanted to learn more about how massive stars end their lives.

The massive object observed in the Kinman Dwarf galaxy seemed like the perfect target.

But when astronomers turned the Very Large Telescope toward the distant galaxy in 2019, they could no longer find any signatures of the massive star.

“It would be highly unusual for such a massive star to disappear without producing a bright supernova explosion,” Allan said.

“This would be a rare event: our current understanding of how massive stars die points to most of them ending their lives in a supernova,” said a statement issued by the European Southern Observatory (ESO).

Trinity Professor Jose Groh, another project leader, said the astronomers plan to keep observing the galaxy for signs of the mysterious missing star.

We will observe the galaxy again with the Hubble Space Telescope next year, which will provide new clues,” Groh said.

That telescope should be “capable of resolving stars in distant galaxies such as the Kinman Dwarf,” the statement said.