There is such a sci-fi plot. Unfortunately, I don't recall the story's title or the author. What I do recall was the use of gravitational lensing (a neutron sta

There is such a sci-fi plot. Unfortunately, I don't recall the story's title or the author. What I do recall was the use of gravitational lensing (a neutron star) to observe an alien world in the years just before the alien's home star went nova.