Scientists get a rare peek inside of an exploding star

Scientists for the first time have spotted the insides of a dying star as it exploded, offering a rare peek into stellar evolution.

- BY ADITHI RAMAKRISHNAN AP Science Writer

Stars can live for millions to trillions of years until they run out of fuel. The most massive ones go out with a bang in an explosion called a supernova.

Using telescopes that peer deep into space, researchers have observed many such explosions. The cosmic outbursts tend to jumble up a dying star's layers, making it hard for scientists to observe the inner structure.

But that wasn't the case for the new discovery, a supernova called 2021yfj located in our Milky Way galaxy.