The first close-up photograph of a star outside the Milky Way has been taken by astronomers.
The WOH G64 star is 160,000 light years from Earth and the new image shows it in the last stages before becoming a supernova.
“For the first time, we have succeeded in taking a zoomed-in image of a dying star in a galaxy outside our own Milky Way,” said astrophysicist and lead author Keiichi Ohnaka.
The photograph shows a bright oval at the centre and a dusty cocoon shrouding the star. The fainter elliptical ring seen around it could be the inner rim of a dusty torus but the team behind the work published in Astronomy and Astrophysics on Thursday said more observations were needed to confirm that.
“We discovered an egg-shaped cocoon closely surrounding the star,” said Prof Ohnaka of Universidad Andres Bello in Chile. "We are excited because this may be related to the drastic ejection of material from the dying star before a supernova explosion."
The team believes the cocoon’s egg shape could be explained by either the star emitting gas or the influence of an as-yet undiscovered companion star.
The star is part of the Large Magellanic Cloud, one of the small galaxies that orbits the Milky Way.
It was photographed by the European Southern Observatory’s so-called very large telescope interferometer and the new observations reveal a star puffing out gas and dust.
Astronomers have taken more than 20 close-up images of stars inside the Milky Way but this was a step further in complexity and the team had to wait until the technology was available. In 2005 and again in 2007, the team had used telescopes in the Atacama Desert, Chile to learn about the star but a photograph was not possible until a new imaging system called Gravity was developed.
“This star is one of the most extreme of its kind and any drastic change may bring it closer to an explosive end,” said co-author Jacco van Loon, from the Keele University in the UK.
In the final life stages, "red supergiant" stars such as the one photographed shed outer layers of gas and dust in a process that can last thousands of years.
Astronomers have known about this star for decades and called it the "behemoth star". With a size about 2,000 times that of the Sun, WOH G64 is classified as a red supergiant.
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Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
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Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
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Fixtures:
Thursday:
Hatta v Al Jazira, 4.55pm
Al Wasl v Dibba, 7.45pm
Friday:
Al Dhafra v Al Nasr, 5.05pm
Shabab Al Ahli Dubai v Al Wahda, 7.45pm
Saturday:
Ajman v Emirates, 4.55pm
Al Ain v Sharjah, 7.45pm
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