Massive red supergiant star ejects a baffling cloud of gas in space
Astonishing Mass Loss From Red Supergiant Star DFK 52 Revealed
A team of astronomers, led by Mark Siebert of the Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden, has discovered that the red supergiant star DFK 52 is losing mass at an extraordinary rate. In a study published in Astronomy & Astrophysics, the team reveals that DFK 52 has expelled the largest cloud of gas and dust ever seen from one of these stellar behemoths, and that this extreme mass loss is likely caused by the presence of at least one unseen companion star in a close binary (or possibly multiple) system.
DFK 52's behaviour is particularly significant because it can provide valuable insights into how and why red supergiants lose mass and then explode. These stars, which have masses between 10 and 40 times that of our sun, become the most enormous stars in existence.
A Titanic Outburst
Approximately 4,000 years ago, DFK 52 experienced a titanic outburst, unleashing most of its mass at a velocity of 27 kilometers per second. Since then, the star has switched off its superwind and is now emitting a slow breeze of 10 kilometers per second, which is slower than the winds emanating from other well-known red supergiants such as Betelgeuse and Antares.
Despite its slowed pace, the mass loss from DFK 52 is still impressive. Over the past 4,000 years, the star has lost an amount of material roughly equal to the mass of the Sun, creating a circumstellar bubble about 50,000 astronomical units (AU) across – five times larger than outflows observed around other extreme red supergiants like VY Canis Majoris.
Complex Circumstellar Cloud Structure
The morphology of the expelled material shows partial equatorial rings, a feature associated with binary interaction in other red supergiants. However, DFK 52’s circumstellar cloud is more complex and clumpy than usual, lacking clear bipolar symmetry often linked with binaries. This complexity points to multiple interacting processes influencing the mass loss.
Luminosity vs. Mass Loss
Unlike other extremely luminous red supergiants known for strong winds and large outflows, DFK 52 is about ten times less luminous yet has experienced greater mass loss. This breaks the usual pattern where more luminous red supergiants have stronger and more asymmetric mass loss.
Comparing DFK 52 and Betelgeuse
In comparison, Betelgeuse, a well-studied red supergiant, has a less extreme mass loss rate and a smaller circumstellar envelope. Its mass loss is thought to be driven primarily by strong stellar winds without the clear evidence for a close binary companion driving more complicated structures, though there is speculation about potential companions.
Betelgeuse’s circumstellar environment is more spherical and less massive overall compared to DFK 52’s huge and asymmetric dust and gas cloud.
Implications for Stellar Evolution Models
In summary, DFK 52 differs fundamentally from Betelgeuse and similar red supergiants because its extreme, chaotic mass loss and vast, complex circumstellar cloud likely result from close stellar companionship, which supplies additional gravitational energy to eject material aggressively, producing a bubble and structure unmatched by single red supergiants or less complex systems. This unusual behaviour challenges current stellar evolution models and offers unique insights into massive star death and supernova preconditions.
DFK 52 will one day explode as a supernova, and its explosive demise will provide astronomers with a wealth of information about the inner workings of these massive stars. Understanding DFK 52's behaviour can help us better understand how and why red supergiants lose mass and then explode, providing valuable insights into the life cycles of these fascinating celestial bodies.
[1] Siebert, M. R., et al. (2021). Astronomy & Astrophysics. [2] Schöller, M., et al. (2019). Astronomy & Astrophysics. [3] Kervella, P., et al. (2019). Astronomy & Astrophysics. [4] Danchi, W. C., et al. (2011). Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics. [5] Quiret, L., et al. (2018). The Astrophysical Journal.
- The remarkable mass loss rate of DFK 52, as revealed by Siebert's team, has implications for technology used in astronomical observations, as it challenges current stellar evolution models and offers unique insights into massive star death and supernova preconditions.
- The news about DFK 52's titanic outburst, which released a mass equivalent to our sun and created a circumstellar bubble five times larger than those observed around other extreme red supergiants, is a significant find in the field of space-and-astronomy.
- As DFK 52's behaviour differs from that of a well-studied red supergiant like Betelgeuse, this research could potentially lead to advancements in the understanding of travel through space, given that understanding the life cycle of these celestial bodies can provide valuable insights into potentially hazardous supernova events.
