News Astronomy

A rare glimpse at a relatively nearby supernova offers clues to how stars die

SN 2023ixf, spotted in May, was in just the right place at the right time

An image of a red supergiant star exploded as the supernova SN2023ixf in the Pinwheel galaxy.

A red supergiant star in the Pinwheel galaxy, shown here in an image from the International Gemini Observatory, exploded as the supernova SN 2023ixf this May.

International Gemini Observatory/AURA/NOIRLab, NSF

By Elise Cutts

- More than 2 years ago

In May, a star in the Pinwheel galaxy exploded in just the right place at nearly the right time for astronomers to unravel details of its death.