Astronomers Capture Close-Up Images Of Exploding Stars In Stunning Detail

Astrophysicists have achieved an eye-opening leap in understanding stellar death, capturing unprecedented, detailed images of two exploding stars that demonstrate these blasts are far more complicated than previously assumed.

These new observations, published in Nature Astronomy last week, utilized a technique called interferometry at California's Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy (CHARA) array. By combining light collected from multiple telescopes, astronomers achieved a resolution sharp enough to directly witness these unfolding cataclysms. Study co-author and Texas Tech University astrophysicist Elias Aydi likened the breakthrough to "going from a grainy black-and-white photo to high-definition video," providing visual evidence of the messy, multi-stage (and sometimes mysterious) nature of nova eruptions.