Double-detonation Supernova: SNR 0509-67.5 | European Southern Observatory

Double-detonation Supernova: SNR 0509-67.5 | European Southern Observatory

Supernova remnant SNR 0509-67.5 located 160,000 light-years away in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), a small galaxy orbiting our own Milky Way.

This image marks the position on the sky of the supernova remnant SNR 0509-67.5, the expanding shells of a star that detonated twice. It is located 160,000 light-years away in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a small galaxy orbiting our own Milky Way. The inset shows new observations with the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT). It shows that the original star died with two explosive blasts. The main image shows the VLT unit telescope used in these observations.

This artist’s impression illustrates the supernova remnant SNR 0509-67.5. Observations from the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) show that these are the expanding remains of a star that died with a double-detonation hundreds of years ago.

This image shows the distribution of calcium in the supernova remnant SNR 0509-67.5. The data were captured with the Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) instrument at the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT). The overlaid curves outline two concentric shells of calcium that were ejected in two separate detonations when the star died several hundred years ago.

The first image was taken with the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT), shows the supernova remnant SNR 0509-67.5. These are the expanding remains of a star that exploded hundreds of years ago in a double-detonation—the first photographic evidence that stars can die with two blasts.

The data were captured with the Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) instrument at the VLT. MUSE allows astronomers to map the distribution of chemical elements, displayed here in  color. Calcium is shown in blue, and it is arranged in two concentric shells. These two layers indicate that the now-dead star exploded with a double-detonation.

Credit: ESO/P. Das et al. Background stars (Hubble): K. Noll et al.
Release Date: July 2, 2025

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