Astronomers catch massive star's death from the first explosive moment

AI Summary

Astronomers observed a massive star's death captured by the Einstein Probe in March 2026. The brief flash of X-rays led to a global campaign to monitor the resulting supernova SN 2026gzf using NSF NOIRLab facilities.

In March 2026, the Einstein Probe detected a brief flash of soft X-rays emitted from a galaxy about 500 million light-years away. The flash, dubbed EP260321a, immediately triggered a worldwide observing campaign. Within an hour, ground-based telescopes began monitoring the source, revealing a rapidly brightening supernova, later designated SN 2026gzf. Two teams of scientists used several NSF NOIRLab facilities to observe the event and monitor its evolving light profile.