Astronomers witness star's double-detonation
Astronomers just caught a star pulling off something wild: it exploded two times in a row!
This rare event, seen with the Very Large Telescope, is the first real proof of a "double-detonation" in a white dwarf star.
The discovery could shake up what we know about how stars die and their role in the universe.
Discovery challenges existing theories about stellar explosions
Usually, white dwarfs explode after collecting enough material from another star.
But here, scientists found evidence that an early helium blast triggered a second explosion from deep inside the star—basically, two blasts instead of one.
Researcher Ivo Seitenzahl says this shows white dwarfs can blow up even before hitting their usual limit.
Since these explosions help us measure cosmic distances and understand how fast the universe is expanding, this find helps solve old mysteries and gives astronomers new clues about stellar life cycles.