The Hubble image reveals a huge ultra-violet atmosphere with a mysterious hot spot on the stellar surface.
Most supergiants end their lives catastrophically as a supernova .
This happens when the fuel in the core runs out, and so cannot withstand the pressure of the stellar material above. Gravity makes it collapse in on itself - causing the explosion. What remains is frequently a neutron star , or often a Black Hole . The H.S.T. continues to break down the limits of our knowledge about the Universe. For the latest information, see the Space Telescope Science Institute website.