Scientists have discovered the brightest supernova explosion located near Earth. According to a CNN report, the supernova was found by astronomers at the Harvard Center for Astrophysics and is said to be larger and brighter than any other supernova ever recorded. The study was a collaboration between Harvard University and the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), a supernova comes from the powerful explosion of a massive dying star which is about five times the size of the Sun. Enormous stars tend to release large amounts of nuclear energy at their core, increasing its temperature. The heat generated by the star creates an outward pressure that keeps the star intact preventing it from collapsing or exploding.
However, the pressure created contradicts the star's gravity. These forces compact it into the densest and smallest form possible. This situation makes the star run out of energy. It's temperature and pressure drop making way for gravity to take over. The gravity then creates shock waves that cause the outer layer of the star to explode which causes it to collapse.
Nearby supernova explosion: This is the brightest of them all, scientists say
The report of CNN stated that the super-bright supernova was spotted by the researchers in 2016, using data from the Panoramic Survey Telescopes and Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS) located at the Haleakala Observatory in Hawaii. Pan-STARRS consist of astronomical cameras, telescopes, and a computing facility that gathers data on the objects found outside the planet.
Nearby Supernova Explosion: This Is The Brightest Of Them All Scientists Say
The discovered supernova was measured by the research team using two scales: The first measured the total energy of the explosion, while the second focused on the radiation emitted by the collapsed star. Radiation is the amount of energy created by the explosion in the form of light energy. The data gathered was published on Monday, April 13, in the Journal Nature Astronomy.
A typical supernova emits light that has less than 1% of its energy. However, the newly found supernova, named SN2016aps, released radiation more than five times the explosive energy of an ordinary supernova. The astronomers observed the supernova for two years and later discovered that its mass was 50 to 100 times larger than the Sun--compared to a normal-sized supernova which is 8 to 15 times greater.
The scientists continued their observation of the supernova because it was, according to them, found in the middle of nowhere. However, they discovered that it only appeared without celestial neighbors because the light it emits outshines its galaxy.
According to Edo Berger, co-author of the study and the professor of astronomy at Harvard University, the galaxy where the explosion was discovered doesn't currently have a name. The study confirmed that it is about four billion light years away and is very alike the two dwarf galaxies orbiting near the solar system's galaxy, the Magellanic Clouds.
