How scientists took first zoomed-in image of star outside our galaxy

How scientists took first zoomed-in image of star outside our galaxy

Sub: Sci

Sec : Space sector

Context:

• For the first time, scientists have captured a zoomed-in picture of a star in another galaxy.
• The star, WOH G64, is located 160,000 light years away in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way.

How the picture was taken:

• The European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) was used to capture the detailed image of WOH G64.
• VLTI comprises four 8-metre diameter telescopes situated in Cerro Paranal, Chile.
• It also has an interferometer called GRAVITY that combines the light from the telescopes to achieve the resolution of a much larger telescope.

About WOH G64:

• Estimated to be 2,000 times the diameter of the Sun.
• Believed to be the largest known star in its galaxy.
• WOH G64 is in the final stages of its life. Recent observations show that it has expelled its outer layers and is encased in arcs and wreaths of gas and dust.
• Massive stars like WOH G64 end their lives either as a black hole or in a supernova explosion.