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SCIENTISTS SPOT BRIGHTEST SUPERNOVA YET, OUTSHINES MILKY WAY
AP ^ | January 15, 2016 | MARCIA DUNN

Posted on 01/15/2016 2:13:28 PM PST by NYer

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) -- Astronomers have discovered the brightest star explosion ever, a super supernova that easily outshines our entire Milky Way.

An international team revealed "the most powerful supernova observed in human history" Thursday in the latest Science journal. The astronomers used a network of telescopes around the world to spot the record-breaking supernova last year.

Super luminous supernovas - extra bright stellar explosions - are believed to be rare. The newly discovered supernova is especially rare: It is more than twice as luminous as any supernova observed to date, including the previous record-holders.

At its peak intensity, it is believed to be 20 times more luminous than the entire Milky Way. Some estimates put it at 50 times brighter.

And try this statistic on for size: It is 570 billion times brighter at its peak than our sun.

Lead author Subo Dong of China's Peking University said when he learned the magnitude of the discovery last summer, he was "too excited to sleep the rest of the night." Fellow researcher Benjamin Shappee of the Carnegie Institution for Science in Pasadena, California, didn't believe the results at first, which seemed "surreal."

(Excerpt) Read more at hosted.ap.org ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: astronomy; supernova
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To: PJBankard

I know. I saw that one their site. But it is just an artist’s illustration.


21 posted on 01/15/2016 6:58:23 PM PST by UCANSEE2 (Lost my tagline on Flight MH370. Sorry for the inconvenience.)
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To: UCANSEE2

(stupid keyboard)

“I saw that one ON their site.”

I found a similar website, and it had the photo I posted. I THINK it’s the supernova from this article, but I could be wrong. It could just be a photo of A supernova. The photo had no ‘credit or label’ info on the website where it was posted with the similar article.


22 posted on 01/15/2016 7:03:03 PM PST by UCANSEE2 (Lost my tagline on Flight MH370. Sorry for the inconvenience.)
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To: PJBankard
OK, I went back and did some digging. The photo I posted is not of THIS supernova.

Here is a location map and some radiotelescope imaging of the actual supernova

NAME: ASASSN-15lh
Detected June of 2015

https://www.sciencenews.org/sites/default/files/2016/01/main/blogposts/ticker_brightsupernova_free.jpg

23 posted on 01/15/2016 7:19:31 PM PST by UCANSEE2 (Lost my tagline on Flight MH370. Sorry for the inconvenience.)
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To: TXnMA

Oooh, ahhhh! BFL!


24 posted on 01/15/2016 9:24:17 PM PST by SunkenCiv (Here's to the day the forensics people scrape what's left of Putin off the ceiling of his limo.)
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To: NYer

Ooops, and thanks NYer! BFL.


25 posted on 01/15/2016 10:24:57 PM PST by SunkenCiv (Here's to the day the forensics people scrape what's left of Putin off the ceiling of his limo.)
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To: NYer
It is the glow from the planet Starkiller.

Blnk
26 posted on 01/15/2016 10:56:58 PM PST by minnesota_bound
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To: brytlea; cripplecreek; decimon; bigheadfred; KoRn; Grammy; steelyourfaith; Mmogamer; dayglored; ...

An "extra, extra" ping to the APoD list members.
27 posted on 01/16/2016 12:58:48 PM PST by SunkenCiv (Here's to the day the forensics people scrape what's left of Putin off the ceiling of his limo.)
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