Scientists have finally imaged a star outside of the Milky Way for the first time. Here’s what it looks like and how they did it.
For the first time, astronomers have imaged a star located outside the Milky Way galaxy. The subject, WOH G64, is a red supergiant situated roughly 160,000 light-years away in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of our own. This landmark achievement showcases the potential of modern astronomical tools in revealing distant cosmic phenomena.
WOH G64 is no ordinary star—it’s a behemoth roughly 2,000 times the size of the Sun. The star is surrounded by a dense cocoon of gas and dust, which it has expelled during its dying stages. This process is typical of massive stars nearing the end of their life cycle as they shed their outer layers in preparation for an explosive supernova event.
