Herschel studying massive dying star

CARDIFF, Wales, Nov. 28 (UPI) -- Europe's new Herschel telescope is examining a dying star that is 30 to 40 times more massive than Earth's sun, astronomers said.

The end days of VY Canis Major, the largest star known to science, is undergoing spectroscopic analysis by Herschel, which was launched in May.

VY Canis Major is a red hypergiant -- a highly evolved star that is exhausting its nuclear fuel. The star could explode as a supernova at any time, spewing enormous quantities of carbon, oxygen and nitrogen into interstellar space, the BBC reported Saturday.

The star is about 4,500 light-years from Earth and has been watched by astronomers for at least 200 years. Hershel is able to capture the "fingerprint" -- evidence of the cloud of dust and gas billowing away from the star and the chemistry of its light source, astronomer Matt Griffin of Britain's Cardiff University said.