Overview
- Astronomers matched a single source in 2024 JWST MIRI and NIRCam images to the exact site of supernova SN 2025pht.
- The progenitor was invisible in pre-explosion Hubble data, indicating severe optical dimming by circumstellar material.
- Modeling of Webb data points to carbon-rich dust around the star, defying expectations of silicate-dominated compositions.
- The finding directly supports explanations for the long-standing ‘missing red supergiants’ problem driven by heavy dust.
- The peer-reviewed study by Kilpatrick, Suresh and collaborators was published in Astrophysical Journal Letters.