458K views · 8.1K reactions | NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration has seen the flash of an exploding star for the first time | Sky News | Facebook

The stunning remnants of an exploded star include elements that helped build life on Earth. | National Geographic

For the first time, the brilliant flash of an exploding star’s shockwave has been captured in visible light by NASA’s Kepler space telescope. The “shock breakout” is illustrated in this video animation where a red supergiant blasts apart as a supernova. This event happens when the internal furnace of a star runs out of nuclear fuel, causing its core to collapse as gravity takes over. For more info: http://www.nasa.gov/feature/ames/Kepler/caught-for-the-first-time-the-early-flash-of-an-exploding-