NASA's Hubble found only the second known example of a massive star system's explosive collapse

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope captured IRAS 05506+2414, a bright young star over 9,000 light-years away in Taurus, surrounded by thick gas and dust. Instead of the usual twin outflows seen around young stars, this object showed a fan-like spray of material traveling up to 350 kilometers per second in every direction. Astronomers believe it may be only the second known example of an explosive disruption of a massive young star system. Researchers measured the outflow's movement between images to indirectly calculate the star's distance, brightness, and mass. Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, R. Sahai