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Using an advanced telescope complex in Chile, astronomers have managed to obtain for the first time in history a magnified image of a star located outside our galaxy. The object of observation, the star WOH G64, is located at a colossal distance – 160 000 light years from Earth, snob.ru reports.
The European Southern Observatory reported that the unique image was taken thanks to a system of four telescopes installed on the Chilean mountain Cerro Paranal. Until now, stars in other galaxies could only be observed as tiny points of light.
The researchers discovered WOH G64 in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way. This space giant is 2 000 times larger than our Sun and belongs to the category of red supergiants.
Although the star has been known to scientists since the 1990s, it was only now that a clear image of it was obtained. Interestingly, new observations have shown an unexpected decrease in the object's brightness over the past decade.
Experts note that WOH G64 is in the final stages of its existence, as evidenced by gas and dust emissions. However, the process of fading of the star may last for millennia.