This undated handout image released by the European Southern Observatory (ESO) on July 2, 2025, shows the supernova remnant SNR 0509-67.5, the expanding remains of a star that exploded hundreds of years ago in a double-detonation – the first photographic evidence that stars can die with two blasts. The event left only traces, but clearly visible, of the double explosion that ended the existence of a star, according to astronomers who provided the first images in a study on July 2, 2025. This image was taken with ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) and the data were captured with the Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) instrument at the VLT. MUSE allows astronomers to map the distribution of different chemical elements, displayed here in different colours. Calcium is shown in blue, and it is arranged in two concentric shells. These two layers indicate that the now-dead star exploded with a double-detonation. (Photo by Handout / European Southern Observatory / AFP)
