Astronomy

Early views of a supernova’s first moments reveal a lopsided blast

The earliest look at a stellar explosion shows that shock waves don’t blast out symmetrically

A supernova explosion, encircled by a dusty disk, erupts in brilliant, bubbling white and orange light against a starry background.

The initial shock wave from a recent nearby supernova (illustrated) was highly asymmetric, with an olive-like shape, providing clues as to the initial trigger for the explosion.

L. Calçada/ESO

By Mara Johnson-Groh

When one supernova commenced, it looked like an olive — at least before it got shaken and stirred.