Astronomers have announced the discovery of the most massive star ever known to be destroyed by a supernova explosion. Dubbed SN 2016iet, the explosive event may represent the way in which the most massive stars in the Universe, including the first stars, end their lives. An artist’s concept of the SN 2016iet pair-instability supernova. Image credit: Gemini Observatory / NSF / AURA / Joy Pollard. SN 2016iet occurred in a dwarf galaxy approximately...
