Guide To Space - Finally! An Explanation for One of the Most Powerful Supernovae Ever Seen

Guide To Space - Finally! An Explanation for One of the Most Powerful Supernovae Ever Seen

Published: May 13, 2026

Duration: 10:51

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEZu3pXAFWY

Hosted by Fraser Cain.

From Jan 31, 2020.

In 2006, astronomers spotted the telltale sign of a supernova detonating in the galaxy NGC 1260, located about 240 million light-years away in the constellation of Perseus. As telescopes around the world turned their collective light-gathering power on the expanding explosion designated as SN 2006gy, they realized they were seeing something very unusual.

 

This clearly wasn't a regular supernova. It grew to be 100 times brighter than the typical stellar explosion and lasted much much longer.

 

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