The surprising link between fast X-ray transients and the explosive death of massive stars

Using a combination of telescopes, astronomers have characterized the closest supernova linked to a fast X-ray transient. The observations reveal that these bright blasts of X-rays may be the result of a "failed" explosive death of a massive star. The telescopes included the International Gemini Observatory, operated by NSF NOIRLab, and the SOAR telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile, a Program of NSF NOIRLab.