One of the largest known stars in the universe, WOH G64, is on the brink of a stunning transformation. Recently, astronomers reported that this colossal star may soon explode into a supernova, or potentially collapse into a black hole, according to a new study in Nature Astronomy.
Discovered about five decades ago, WOH G64 is a red supergiant with a mass around thirty times that of our Sun and a radius over 1,500 times larger. If it were in our solar system, it would stretch past Jupiter!
Supergiant stars have fascinating but fleeting lives. WOH G64 is only about five million years old, compared to our Sun’s 4.6 billion years. These stars are known to be some of the brightest and largest in the cosmos, and WOH G64 resides about 165,000 light years away in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a neighboring dwarf galaxy abundant with star-forming materials.
As WOH G64 aged, it rapidly consumed the hydrogen at its core, shifting to helium burning, which caused its outer layers to expand. This process leads to a cooler temperature and a distinct red color, marking its identity as a red supergiant.
Recently, astronomers observed an exciting change. In 2014, WOH G64’s color and temperature shifted dramatically within a year, hinting that it might evolve into a yellow hypergiant. These stars are incredibly rare and only a few dozen are currently known, according to lead author Gonzalo Muñoz-Sanchez from the National Observatory of Athens. “Yellow hypergiants are a short-lived phase before a supernova,” he explained.
This transformation may happen after WOH G64 ejected much of its outer material into space, possibly due to interactions with a nearby companion star. While these interactions are vital, the change could also stem from the star’s intrinsic processes. Muñoz-Sanchez noted that this makes it tricky to predict its death, but it’s likely to be spectacular, occurring within the next few hundred to thousand years.
Experts believe that the fate of stars like WOH G64, with initial masses between 23 and 30 solar masses, remains largely unknown. It could eventually become a yellow hypergiant before meeting its end. “Witnessing this on human timescales is nearly unprecedented,” Muñoz-Sanchez pointed out.
The fascination with stars like WOH G64 reflects humanity’s quest to understand the universe. With each new discovery, we get closer to unraveling the mysteries of stellar life cycles and our place in space.
For more insights into the mysteries of the cosmos, read this article on Space.com.
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