"Cosmic eye" looks down on Earth about to explode

(NLDO) - This type of supergiant star is very short-lived because it burns energy too quickly, and is about to end its life with a supernova explosion.

The European Southern Observatory's (ESO) Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) in Chile has captured a detailed image of a structure resembling the glowing eye of a ferocious beast from space staring straight into the lens.

This is actually the first high-quality detailed image scientists have of a star outside the Milky Way.

It is the red supergiant star WOH G64, which is 1,500 times the diameter of the Sun and is one of the largest stars in the universe.

WOH G64 is located in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way, and is about to explode.

VLTI system and captured image of "cosmic eye" - Photo: ESO

According to Live Science , WOH G64 is about 5 million years old, just a "newborn" compared to the 4.6 billion year old Sun.

However, this object belongs to a special type of star called "Behemoth", named after a mythical animal mentioned in the Book of Job, which looks like a monster hippopotamus with elephant tusks and is the largest creature on land.

This type of supergiant star is very short-lived because it burns through energy so quickly, so WOH G64 is actually very old and about to die, ending its life in a supernova explosion of the most terrible kind.

The impending death of this cosmic monster is revealed through the very oval ring of light surrounding the star, which gives the overall structure the appearance of an eye.

According to astrophysicist Keiichi Ohnaka from the National Andres Bello University (Chile), the lead author of the study, this structure is an egg-shaped cocoon related to the powerful ejection of material from the dying star before a supernova explosion.

"This star is one of the most extreme Behemoths and any major changes could bring it closer to an explosive end," added co-author Jacco van Loon, an astronomer from Keele University in the UK.

Previously, astronomers had only captured about 20 equally detailed and magnified images of stars, all of them located within the Milky Way.

So the image of the extreme object WOH G64 marks a new milestone and shows the power of interferometry – a network of multiple telescopes working together – and the promise it holds in helping humanity see further into the cosmos.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/mot-trong-nhung-ngoi-sao-lon-nhat-vu-tru-sap-no-196241128091846358.htm