Massive Star WOH G64 Undergoes Rapid Transformation

WOH G64, a massive star located in the Large Magellanic Cloud, has exhibited rapid changes over the past decade, transitioning from a red supergiant to a yellow hypergiant. This transformation challenges existing models of stellar evolution.

Astronomers observed that in 2014, WOH G64's surface temperature increased, causing its color to shift from red to yellow. This change occurred without any significant eruption or explosion, which is atypical for such massive stars.

Gonzalo Muñoz-Sánchez, lead author of a study published in Nature Astronomy, noted, "Typically, the evolution of a star takes place on timescales of billions of years. On human timescales, we only observe more abrupt and violent events, such as eruptions, the merger of two stars, or their explosive deaths."

WOH G64 is approximately 28 times the mass of the Sun and about 1,500 times its diameter. If placed at the center of our solar system, its outer layers would extend beyond the orbit of Jupiter.

The star's rapid transformation has led scientists to reconsider the life cycles of the most massive stars. Some researchers suggest that WOH G64 may be part of a binary system, with interactions between the two stars influencing its evolution.

Further observations are needed to determine whether WOH G64 will explode as a supernova, collapse into a black hole, or undergo other evolutionary phases.