Astronomers have made the first detection of a supernova in radio waves, finding that an exploding white dwarf star was feeding from a companion star like a cosmic vampire before it blew. Rather than drinking blood like the vampires of legend, this undead star was greedily feasting on helium-rich material from its stellar victim, which ultimately led to its own demise.
Designated supernova SN 2020eyj, this Type Ia supernova was discovered by the Zwicky Transient Facility camera on Palomar mountain. This discovery was followed up with the Nordic Optical telescope on La Palma and the large Keck telescope on Hawaii. These follow-ups revealed the material around the supernova was unusually dominated by helium-rich matter, making it different from other Type Ia supernovas.
