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11h ago

Astronomers Reconstruct a Supernova’s First Blast, Revealing an Olive-Shaped Shock Breakout

Polarized-light data from ESO’s Very Large Telescope captured the breakout geometry of SN 2024ggi within 26 hours, sharpening models for how core-collapse explosions ignite.

An artist's impression shows a star exploding at the end of its lifecycle, called a supernova, in this handout image released by the European Southern Observatory on November 12, 2025. The star is located about 22 million light-years away from Earth in the galaxy NGC 3621. ESO/L. Calcada/Handout via REUTERS
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Overview

  • Using the VLT’s FORS2 spectropolarimetry, researchers inferred an axisymmetric, elongated breakout rather than a simple spherical blast.
  • SN 2024ggi erupted in the galaxy NGC 3621 about 22 million light-years away and originated from a red supergiant roughly 12–15 times the Sun’s mass.
  • The olive-like geometry flattened as the ejecta encountered surrounding material, yet the explosion maintained a consistent axis of symmetry.
  • The early-time dataset supports neutrino-driven initiation and constrains competing supernova models, though key mechanism details remain open.
  • The findings, led by Yi Yang and published in Science Advances, highlight the value of rapid-response observations to build a broader sample of early supernovae.