In what may be the saddest space story ever, three giant stars at the end of their lives — called supernovas — exploded alone in the depths of the cosmos, it was revealed in a new study this week. While normally supernovas occur in galaxies that house billions of other stars, these cosmic disruptions were notable because the stars were, for some reason, banished from their own galaxies.
The errant stars, originally discovered between 2008 and 2010, existed about 300 light years from their closest galactic neighbors.
All three of the stars exploded as Type Ia supernova, which scientists think happens when a smaller star disintegrates as it orbits a larger star, with the larger star feeding off the lesser star's materials.
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In other words, the supernovas cannibalized their only stellar companions in the void. Space is cruel.
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