Astronomers have spotted the largest cosmic explosion ever witnessed and it’s 10 times brighter than any known exploding star or supernova. The brightness of the explosion, charmingly called AT2021lwx, has lasted for three years according to news reports, while most supernovas are only bright for a few months. The event, still being detected by telescopes, occurred nearly eight billion light-years away from Earth when the universe was about six billion years old. The luminosity of the explosion is also three times brighter than tidal disruption events, when stars fall into supermassive black holes. Even to a casual observer like me, the universe raises endless questions.
© 2024 John Oliver
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