Space
Superluminous Supernova is 570 Billion Times Brighter Than Our Sun
Catherine Griffin
First Posted: Jan 14, 2016 04:10 PM EST
A newly discovered supernova may outshine all others. Scientists have witnessed a cosmic explosion that was about 200 times more powerful than a typical supernova.
The explosion was called ASASSN-15lh, and shown with 570 billion times the brightness of the sun. That means it had a luminosity level that was about 20 times the entire output of the 100 billion stars comprising our Milky Way galaxy.
The record-breaking blast is thought to be an outstanding example of a "superluminous supernova," which is a recently discovered, supremely rare variety of explosion that's unleased by certain stars when they die. However, scientists are unsure what may actually be responsible for these extreme supernovae.
"ASASSN-15lh is the most powerful supernova discovered in human history," said Subo Dong, one of the researchers, in a news release. "The explosion's mechanism and power source remain shrouded in mystery because all known theories meet serious challenges in explaining the immense amount of energy ASASSN-15lh has radiated."
The powerful supernova was first seen in June 2015 during the All Sky Automated Survey for SuperNovae (ASASSN), an international collaboration. The survey looked for objects like ASASSN-15lh that were intrinsically very bright, but too far away for humans to notice.
Further observations of the object have shown that the supernova is hydrogen-poor, which is a Type I superluminous supernovae. These are some of the two main types of epic explosions so named for lacking signatures of the chemical element hydrogen in their spectra. The researchers also found the object was far hotter and not just brighter than other supernovae.
The findings reveal a bit more about supernovae which may help scientists better understand these superluminous objects.
The findings are published in the journal Science.
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First Posted: Jan 14, 2016 04:10 PM EST
A newly discovered supernova may outshine all others. Scientists have witnessed a cosmic explosion that was about 200 times more powerful than a typical supernova.
The explosion was called ASASSN-15lh, and shown with 570 billion times the brightness of the sun. That means it had a luminosity level that was about 20 times the entire output of the 100 billion stars comprising our Milky Way galaxy.
The record-breaking blast is thought to be an outstanding example of a "superluminous supernova," which is a recently discovered, supremely rare variety of explosion that's unleased by certain stars when they die. However, scientists are unsure what may actually be responsible for these extreme supernovae.
"ASASSN-15lh is the most powerful supernova discovered in human history," said Subo Dong, one of the researchers, in a news release. "The explosion's mechanism and power source remain shrouded in mystery because all known theories meet serious challenges in explaining the immense amount of energy ASASSN-15lh has radiated."
The powerful supernova was first seen in June 2015 during the All Sky Automated Survey for SuperNovae (ASASSN), an international collaboration. The survey looked for objects like ASASSN-15lh that were intrinsically very bright, but too far away for humans to notice.
Further observations of the object have shown that the supernova is hydrogen-poor, which is a Type I superluminous supernovae. These are some of the two main types of epic explosions so named for lacking signatures of the chemical element hydrogen in their spectra. The researchers also found the object was far hotter and not just brighter than other supernovae.
The findings reveal a bit more about supernovae which may help scientists better understand these superluminous objects.
The findings are published in the journal Science.
Related Articles
Green Pea Galaxy May Reveal More about the Big Bang
Most Energetic Pulse of Radiation Emission Ever Detected Spotted coming from a Neutron Star
For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone