Over the years, astronomers have managed to capture a few images of stars in galaxies beyond Earth. However, these images have always appeared as mere points of light, even when seen through powerful telescopes. Now, thanks to the Very Large Telescope (VLT), scientists have captured the first close-up image of a massive star located a staggering 160,000 light-years from Earth.
The star, named WOH G64, lies in the Large Magellanic Cloud. The nearby dwarf galaxy is visible from the Southern Hemisphere. Classified as a red supergiant, WOH G64 is one of the largest stars in the universe. It is over 1,500 times larger and 282,000 times brighter than our Sun. Astronomers have known about the aptly nicknamed "behemoth star" for decades. However, an actual image of the star had remained elusive — until now.
The photo, revealed on November 21, 2024, shows a cocoon of gas and dust around WOH G64. Scientists believe this indicates that the star is shedding its outer layers. This process can last thousands of years. It signals that WOH G64 may be entering a final stage of life before becoming a supernova. The cocoon's egg-like shape is either due to the star's rotation or the influence of an undiscovered companion star.
“We discovered an egg-shaped cocoon closely surrounding the star,” said Dr Keiichi Ohnaka, an astrophysicist at the Andrés Bello National University in Chile. “We are excited because this may be related to the drastic ejection of material from the dying star before a supernova explosion.”
As the star becomes dimmer, it may be difficult to get other close-up images, even for the VLT. However, researchers hope that future upgrades to the telescope's instruments will address this issue.
"Similar follow-up observations with ESO instruments will be important for understanding what is going on in the star," concludes Ohnaka.
Located in Chile's Atacama Desert, the Very Large Telescope (VLT) is one of the world's most advanced astronomical observatories. It consists of four 26-foot (8.2 meter) diameter telescopes that can be combined to form a single, extremely powerful telescope. They enable scientists to study the universe in unprecedented detail, from the formation of distant galaxies to the detection of exoplanets.
Resources: phys.org, sciencefocus.com, theguardian.com
