Astronomers spot largest cosmic explosion ever seen
Astronomers have captured the largest cosmic explosion ever witnessed — a fireball 10 times brighter than any known supernova. The explosion , known as AT2021lwx, has been blazing for three years and is believed to have been triggered by a giant cloud of gas being consumed by a supermassive black hole. WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: SpaceX rocket explodes minutes after takeoff. Watch the latest News on Channel 7 or stream for free on 7plus >> Astronomers are still in the dark about the phenomenon and say more research is needed to properly understand it. A new study, which argued the gas cloud as the likely explanation, says the “extraordinary event” was stumbled upon by chance. An artist’s impression of a black hole pulling material off its companion star, forming a disk called an “accretion disk” around the black hole. Credit: John A. Paice University of Southampton research fellow Dr Philip Wiseman, who led the observations, said the flare-up was initially spotted in 2020. While ...