Scientists Detect Most Intense Explosion Ever Seen

It's described as the most powerful explosion since Big Bang and 10 million times rarer than a standard supernova.

Discovered by researchers at the University of Hawai’i’s Institute for Astronomy - their findings are published in the journal Science Advances - and they say it’s time to classify the universe’s most energetic explosions as extreme nuclear transients - or ENTs. These cosmic explosions are unprecedented in their intensity. They happen when massive stars - much bigger than our Sun - go too close to a supermassive black hole and are torn to pieces. The resulting collision throws out vast amounts of energy that travel right across the cosmos.

An artist's illustration of an unlucky massive star approaching a supermassive black hole | University of Hawai'i

The most energetic ENT, for instance, throws out 25 times more energy than the most powerful known supernova. A supernova can emit as much energy a year as the Sun does over its 10-billion-year lifetime, but ENTs can emit 100 times that over a single year.

The implications of ENTs and their massive energy surges go far beyond their impressive energy outputs. Astronomers believe they contribute to some of the most pivotal events in the cosmos. “These ENTs don’t just mark the dramatic end of a massive star’s life. They illuminate the processes responsible for growing the largest black holes in the universe,” said study lead author and astronomer Jason Hinkle.

Researchers also hope they can be used to better understand black holes - and the universe that holds them. "ENTs provide a valuable new tool for studying massive black holes in distant galaxies. Because they're so bright, we can see them across vast cosmic distances - and in astronomy, looking far away means looking back in time,” said Benjamin Shappee, a co-author on the study.

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