A stellar explosion moves from theory to reality

It starts with a familiar tale. Two massive stars are born from a cloud of gas and dust. One eventually runs out of fuel, forming either a neutron star or a black hole. But then, in a fratricidal twist, this compact object spirals closer and closer to the other star, sweeps through its sibling’s atmosphere and eventually tugs on its core so hard that it explodes.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-02395-9

Subjects

• Astronomy and astrophysics