Scientists find the most intense explosion ever seen in the universe
Cosmic discovery could shed light on black holes in distant galaxies
- Scientists have discovered extreme nuclear transients (ENTs), the most powerful energy blasts in the universe, occurring when stars are torn apart by supermassive black holes.
- ENTs can emit 100 times more energy in a year than the Sun does over its 10-billion-year lifetime.
- Astronomer Jason Hinkle identified the first two ENTs in data from the European Space Agency’s Gaia telescope.
- Researchers believe ENTs can be used to study massive black holes in distant galaxies, providing insights into black hole growth when the universe was half its current age.
- ENTs are rare, occurring much less frequently than supernovae, but upcoming observatories like the Vera C Rubin Observatory and Nasa’s Roman Space Telescope may help discover more of them.