Scientists spot evidence of 2 huge companion stars that blew up

Key Points:

• Scientists have discovered the first evidence of two massive stars in a binary system that both exploded as supernovas within a relatively short time, leaving behind glowing gas clouds called nebulas.
• One of these nebulas is the well-known Jellyfish Nebula (IC 443), created by a star 15 to 25 times the mass of the sun, while the other nebula (G189.6+3.3) was formed by its companion star, at least 20 times more massive than the sun.
• Both stars, once tens of thousands of times more luminous than the sun, likely became neutron stars after their explosions and are located about 6,000 light-years away in the constellation Gemini.
• The discovery offers a rare opportunity to study the complete evolutionary history of a massive binary system, providing new insights into how binary companionship affects the life cycles and supernova events of massive stars.
• Researchers estimate 20,000 to 110,000 years passed between the two explosions, with the first supernova disrupting the binary system and sending the companion star moving through space until it also exploded.