--- title: "Scientists Puzzled by Star That Exploded in Supernova But Somehow Survived" description: "Scientists are perplexed by a mysterious star, believed to be destroyed in a supernova — only to be found still alive, burning brighter than ever before." date: "2022-06-28" modified: "2022-06-28" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/scientists-puzzled-star-exploded-supernova-survived" categories: - "Science & Energy" tags: - "nuclear" - "star death" - "supernova" --- # Scientists Puzzled by Star That Exploded in Supernova But Somehow Survived ![Scientists are perplexed by a mysterious star, believed to be destroyed in a supernova — only to be found still alive, burning brighter than ever before.]() *\Image: NASA\* Maybe there *is* something to the legend of the phoenix. Scientists are perplexed by a mysterious star, believed to have been completely annihilated in a powerful supernova — only to be found still alive, burning brighter than ever before. According to a [press release](), the undead star in question was believed to have met its demise in a supernova back in 2012. And while there have been some cases of stars [living through "partial" supernovas](), no observed star has been known to survive a Type Ia explosion — the most powerful of its kind — which only goes to show how much there still is to learn about the life cycle of a star. The researchers, whose work was [published in *The Astrophysical Journal*](), made their discovery by comparing images taken by NASA's Hubble Telescope before and after the supernova occurred back in 2012. "We were expecting to see one of two things," said Curtis McCully, a postdoctoral researcher at University of California, Santa Barbara and lead author of the study, in the statement*.* "Either the star would have completely gone away, or maybe it would have still been there, meaning the star we saw in the pre-explosion images wasn’t the one that blew up." But what they actually found was striking. McCully added: "Nobody was expecting to see a surviving star that was brighter. That was a real puzzle." The team speculates that the event, dubbed SN 2012Z, was actually a Type Iax explosion, which is a weaker explosion than a true Type Ia. Scientists have previously suggested that this less powerful death of a star is actually a "failed" thermonuclear meltdown — and this new discovery could provide evidence for that suspicion. As for the extra wattage? The team suggests that the failed explosion wasn't strong enough to blow too much of the star's material away, and a great deal of celestial shrapnel fell back onto itself as a result. A white dwarf also has a *lot* of concentrated weight, and, counterintuitively, when a star loses mass, it grows in volume, which is what they saw with SN 2012Z. The research could help fill in some gaps and shed some light on why a star appeared to have cheated death. "This star surviving is a little like Obi-Wan Kenobi coming back as a force ghost in Star Wars," said co-author Andy Howell from UC Santa Barbara, in the statement. "Nature tried to strike this star down, but it came back more powerful than we could have imagined." **More on star death:** [*Scientists Spot Dying Star Brutally Tearing up Its Unfortunate Planets*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()