A team of international scientists led by Gonzalo Muñoz-Sánchez from the University of Athens published a study in Nature Astronomy, suggesting that WOH G64, a hypergiant star located in the Large Magellanic Cloud, is rapidly evolving and may soon explode as a supernova. This star, originally classified as a red supergiant, has transformed into a yellow hypergiant over the past decade. Yellow hypergiants are rare and exceptionally bright stars that may erupt shortly after shifting from their red supergiant phase.

Discovered about fifty years ago, WOH G64 is one of the largest known stars, boasting a diameter over 1500 times that of the Sun. Such immense size means that if it were in our solar system, it would engulf Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, and Jupiter entirely. Despite its impending explosion, astronomers emphasize that there is no threat to Earth from this event, as its distance ensures that any potential effects will not impact our planet.

The implications of studying WOH G64 extend beyond mere curiosity about stellar evolution; understanding the lifecycle and explosive mechanisms of hypergiants can offer insights into the formation of elements in the universe and can shed light on the processes that govern the evolution of massive stars. As research continues, WOH G64 remains a critical subject for astronomers interested in the dynamics of massive star systems and their end-of-life scenarios.