The Hubble Space Telescope has observed multiple supernovae in the spiral galaxy NGC 4051, revealing Type Ic supernovae produced by massive star core collapse. These events are scattered throughout the center and spiral arms of the galaxy.
Two teams of astronomers uncovered the presumed precursor star in pre-explosion photos taken in 2007, shedding light on stellar evolution and mass distribution. The discovery suggests two possible scenarios: a single massive star or a binary-star system.
Astronomers observed two nearby supernovae, SN 2012im and SN 2013ek, in spiral galaxy NGC 6984 using NASA's Hubble space telescope. The recent image reveals the second star that has exploded, forming a new Type Ib supernova visible near the center of the galaxy.
A team of astronomers suggests that Type Ic supernovae could produce gamma-ray bursts through the collapsar model, which proposes an asymmetric explosion mechanism and a jet of particles and energy. The theory is supported by observations with Keck and Subaru telescopes in Hawaii.