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    "headline": "A Warm Supergiant May Have Preceded SN 2026dix",
    "slug": "a-warm-supergiant-may-have-preceded-sn-2026dix",
    "dek": "Archival Hubble imaging and post-explosion data point to a binary progenitor.",
    "summary": "Archival Hubble imaging and post-explosion data point to a binary progenitor.",
    "body_text": "A study of nearby transitional Type IIb/Ib supernova SN 2026dix found a point source at its location in multiple pre-explosion Hubble images. Light curves, spectra and stellar-model comparisons favor an interacting binary with a warm, luminous supergiant primary, estimated at roughly 6,750 to 7,750 kelvin, and a less luminous hot dwarf companion. The identification is consistent with the data and models; the presumed progenitor has not been established by a direct pre-explosion spectrum.",
    "why_it_matters": "Archival Hubble imaging and post-explosion data point to a binary progenitor.",
    "limitations": [
      "The identification is consistent with the data and models; the presumed progenitor has not been established by a direct pre-explosion spectrum."
    ],
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    "first_published_at": "2026-09-21T09:00:00.000-04:00",
    "modified_at": "2026-09-21T09:00:00.000-04:00",
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        "text": "Archival Hubble imaging and post-explosion data point to a binary progenitor.",
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        "qualification": "The identification is consistent with the data and models; the presumed progenitor has not been established by a direct pre-explosion spectrum."
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    "source_ids": [
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    "tags": [
      "supernova",
      "Hubble",
      "stellar evolution"
    ],
    "image_url": null,
    "corrections": []
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  "sources": [
    {
      "source_id": "source-2026-09-21-012",
      "title": "arXiv preprint 2609.21836",
      "publisher": "arXiv",
      "url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.21836",
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      "published_at": "2026-09-18T10:33:50.000-04:00",
      "accessed_at": "2026-09-21T08:26:05.112-04:00",
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    "title": "A Warm Supergiant May Have Preceded SN 2026dix",
    "publisher": "The Machine Press",
    "published_at": "2026-09-21T09:00:00.000-04:00",
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