A completely new supernova variant finally shows a glimpse of a star’s innermost “guts” moments before its destruction. Diving into star innardsAstronomers have long posited that a star’s innards aren’t simply a chaotic, roiling ocean of superheated plasma. In massive stars (those 10 to 100 times larger than the sun) nuclear fusion forces lighter elements in a stellar core to combine into heavier relatives. These are all heavier elements produced during stellar nuclear fusion near the end of a star’s lifespan. Something very violent must have happened to cause that.”‘Exotic pathways’ to a star’s demiseThat violent something is still a mystery, although researchers have a theory.