Using two telescopes in Hawaii, scientists were able to see the explosion of a red supergiant and its collapse as a supernova for the first time. Such an explosion is an infrequent occurrence on a galactic scale. A research team from the Pan-STARRS Institute for Astronomy at the University of Hawaii observed a red supergiant about 10 solar masses about 120 million light-years from Earth in the galaxy NGC 5731 for the last 130 days before its deadly explosion.

Until now, scientists believed that red supergiants remain calm before exploding or collapsing - unlike other stars that eject layers of burning gas. However, a new observation shows that this is not always the case.

Red supergiant explosion