A rush to watch a supernova exposed its last gasp before exploding
Scientists hope to find clues to help them recognize when other stars are about to blow
![image of two galaxies, with an inset showing a bright spot](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/102921_ec_supernova_feat.jpg?fit=1030%2C580&ssl=1)
Scientists spotted an exploding star in one of a pair of galaxies known as the Butterfly galaxies (shown). Observations of that supernova (bright spot in the zoomed-in view) in the hours and days after it went off showed details of the star’s life just before death.
NASA, ESA, Ryan Foley/UCSC, Joseph DePasquale/STScI