For the first time, astronomers have achieved a groundbreaking feat: capturing a detailed, zoomed-in image of a star located outside the Milky Way. This remarkable milestone unveils intricate details about WOH G64, an enormous star researchers believe is nearing the end of its life cycle. These findings, published on November 21 in Astronomy & Astrophysics, are shedding light on stellar death in unprecedented ways.
A Massive Star in the Large Magellanic Cloud
WOH G64 is a colossal star, measuring approximately 1,500 times the size of our sun and positioned 160,000 light-years away from Earth. This dying giant resides in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a smaller galaxy that orbits the Milky Way.
Previously, photographing WOH G64 with clarity seemed almost unattainable. Capturing such an image would have required a telescope over 100 meters in diameter—far beyond existing technology. Instead, astronomers combined data from four 1.8-meter telescopes to assemble this extraordinary image, offering an intimate glimpse into the twilight of a star’s life.
Unraveling Clues to a Star’s Final Stages
“This star, WOH G64, gives us a very real opportunity to investigate what a star is doing, supposedly, just before a supernova explosion,” explains Keiichi Ohnaka, an astronomer at Universidad Andrés Bello in Santiago, Chile. “‘Just before’ in an astronomical sense. Not today or next week or next year.”
The star could take anywhere from 10,000 to 100,000 years to explode into a supernova—if it ever does. However, key indicators suggest its end may be on the horizon. Observations revealed a hazy, egg-shaped cocoon surrounding the star, which Ohnaka speculates consists of material emitted by dying stars, such as gas and dust particles.
A Star That’s Fading into History
Perhaps the most striking clue is WOH G64’s dimming over the years, as evidenced by comparisons to older records of its brightness. Ohnaka believes this fading is due to the star ejecting increasing amounts of material over the past decade. While dimming periods can be temporary for some stars, others never regain their former brilliance.
“At first, we wanted to take another close-up,” Ohnaka recalls.
“So, we started monitoring it to see when it comes back…. But maybe, more interestingly, it might not come back. It may just get fainter and fainter.”
A Rare Glimpse into Stellar Mortality
This extraordinary image offers an invaluable opportunity to study a star’s transformation as it approaches the end of its life. While its exact fate remains uncertain, the insights gained from WOH G64 promise to deepen humanity’s understanding of stellar evolution and the intricate processes that shape our universe.
