The light generated by the first hours of that supernova explosion could potentially reveal much about the structure and makeup of a star's surface just before it died. But supernovas are unpredictable at best, and catching that first brightening is exceedingly difficult, Folatelli said. In the paper, the authors estimate the odds of spotting this crucial early stage at 1-in-a-million or 1-in-10-million chance.

Source: Los Angeles Times February 22, 2018 02:48 UTC