Uploaded November 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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Thanks to ESO’s Very Large Telescope Interferometer, astronomers have taken the first close-up picture of a star outside our galaxy, more than 160 000 light-years from us. The star is surrounded by a giant cocoon of dust, revealing it is in the last stages before becoming a supernova. This video summarises the discovery.

For more details, check: eso.org/public/news/eso2417


More information and download options: eso.org/public/videos/eso2417a

Credit:
ESO

Directed by: Angelos Tsaousis and Martin Wallner.
Editing: Angelos Tsaousis.
Web and technical support: Gurvan Bazin and Raquel Yumi Shida.
Written by: Hanna Huysegoms, Alejandro Izquierdo Lopez.
Music: Stellardrone – The Divine Cosmos.
Footage and photos: ESO / Luis Calçada, Martin Kornmesser, Cristoph Malin (christophmalin.com), Babak Tafreshi (twanight.org), Keiichi Ohnaka et al.
Scientific consultant: Paola Amico, Mariya Lyubenova.