The biggest explosion in the universe since the Big Bang has been discovered.

The explosion was nearly 10 times brighter and maintained that brightness for many years, far exceeding the total energy released by even the brightest supernovae.

Illustration of the Big Bang explosion - Source: NASA

Astronomers from the Institute for Astronomy (IfA) at the University of Hawaii have just discovered the most powerful type of cosmic explosion ever detected, naming it "extreme nuclear transients" (ENT).

This extraordinary phenomenon occurs when massive stars—at least three times the mass of our Sun—are torn apart after coming too close to a supermassive black hole, releasing enormous amounts of energy observable from extremely distant distances. Scientists call this "the biggest series of explosions since the Big Bang."

According to research published in the journal Science Advances , these ENT bursts are distinctly different from previously observed tidal disruption events (when stars are torn apart by black holes). They are nearly 10 times brighter and maintain this brightness for years, far exceeding the total energy released by even the brightest supernovae.

The most energetic ENT studied, named Gaia18cdj, released 25 times more energy than the most powerful supernova ever known. While a typical supernova releases energy equivalent to the Sun's entire 10-billion-year lifespan in just one year, ENTs radiate the energy of 100 Suns in the same amount of time.

The research team, led by Jason Hinkle, discovered ENTs while systematically searching for prolonged bursts of light emanating from the centers of galaxies in publicly available data, particularly from the European Space Agency's Gaia mission. These events show a gradual increase in brightness over extended periods, unlike any known transient astronomical phenomenon.

Data from various telescopes, including the University of Hawaii's Asteroid Collision Last Alert System (ATLAS) and the WM Keck Observatory, have confirmed their unique nature.

The immense energy and smooth, elongated light curve of ENTs suggest they are not supernovae. Instead, the mechanism is identified as the slow accretion of matter from a broken star onto a supermassive black hole.

This discovery provides a valuable new tool for studying supermassive black holes in distant galaxies. Due to their immense luminosity, scientists can observe ENTs from vast cosmic distances, essentially looking back into the past. This opens up opportunities to understand the evolution of black holes when the universe was about half its current age, a period when galaxies were far more active than they are today.

Although 10 million times rarer than supernovae, future observatories like NASA's Vera C. Rubin Observatory and Roman Space Telescope are expected to detect more ENTs, contributing to our understanding of black hole activity in the early universe.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/phat-hien-vu-no-lon-nhat-vu-tru-ke-tu-big-bang-20250605082003289.htm