Biggest Cosmic Explosion Detected by Astronomers.
Astronomers Discover Largest Cosmic Explosion Ever Recorded
A massive cosmic explosion, ten times brighter than the largest supernova ever seen, has been detected by astronomers, according to a report from the BBC. The explosion was recorded by the Zwicky Facility in California, USA in 2020 and has continued to shine for three years, making it one of the most significant cosmic events ever observed.
University of Southampton researcher Dr. Philip Wiseman said the explosion was about 8 billion light years away, and his team analyzed the light from the event, confirming that it was the most massive explosion ever recorded. Wiseman pointed out that such an intense and long-lasting light had not been seen before, and they were “extraordinarily surprised” by the findings.
Typically, it takes a few months for the brightness of most supernovas to fade. Still, the brightness caused by this event continued for over two years, indicating it was likely caused by gas clouds thousands of times the mass of the sun being consumed by a black hole. The resulting shock waves produced a ringed glow in the superheated gas cloud surrounding the black hole.
Dr. Wiseman said that although such events are rare, they can have a significant impact on how the centers of galaxies change over time. He added that his team was working to gather more detailed information about the explosion and hoped that advanced telescope systems would make it easier to detect similar events in the future.
Dr. Robert Massey, the British Royal Astronomical Society Vice President, said that this was the first time an event of this magnitude had been discovered, and research would begin immediately to look for similar-sized explosions in space. He also stated that he would be surprised if this was the only such event in the universe.
The research results were published in the British Royal Astronomical Society’s Monthly Notices publication. Supernovas are the violent explosions of massive stars that have run out of energy, reaching luminosities of up to a hundred million times that of the Sun.
