A mysterious giant bubble discovered in our galaxy

Astronomers discover record-breaking cosmic bubble around a red supergiant in the Milky Way

"We were surprised when we saw the ALMA data. This star is almost a twin of Betelgeuse, but it is surrounded by a huge chaotic cloud of matter," said the research leader Mark Siebert.

According to estimates, the matter was ejected about 4,000 years ago as a result of a powerful outburst, during which the star shed part of its outer layers. Usually such events precede a supernova explosion, but DFK 52 still exists, which remains a mystery for researchers.

Analysis of the molecular movement in the cloud showed that the bubble continues to expand. One hypothesis is that the mass ejection could have been caused by the supergiant having a "hidden" companion that influenced its evolution.

Red supergiants like DFK 52 are rare and bright stars completing their life cycle. In the future, they should explode as supernovae. Scientists do not rule out that this particular star could become the next "cosmic flash" in our Galaxy.

"We are planning new observations to better understand what is happening and to find out if DFK 52 could be the next supernova in the Milky Way. If this star is typical, its demise may occur within the next million years," explained astronomer Elvire De Beck.