A newfound class of cosmic explosion is rewriting the rulebook of astrophysics. It’s brighter, longer-lasting, and more powerful than anything seen before—and it could change how we understand the birth and growth of black holes.
Key Points at a Glance
- Astronomers have discovered a new class of explosion called “extreme nuclear transients” (ENTs)
- ENTs are up to 10 times brighter than typical tidal disruption events
- They can outshine a hundred Suns for years
- ENTs help scientists study supermassive black holes in distant galaxies
- Future telescopes could detect many more of these rare cosmic events
The most powerful explosion in the universe since the Big Bang might have just been spotted—by accident. A team of astronomers at the University of Hawaiʻi’s Institute for Astronomy (IfA) uncovered what they’re calling an “extreme nuclear transient,” or ENT: a previously unknown type of cosmic flare that’s blowing the minds of astrophysicists worldwide.
“It’s like the cosmos is turning up the volume to eleven,” said Jason Hinkle, the doctoral researcher who led the study. Unlike traditional stellar explosions like supernovae or the already dramatic tidal disruption events—when a star gets torn apart by a black hole—these ENTs are on an entirely new level of cosmic violence.
One ENT, dubbed Gaia18cdj, outshone the most energetic supernova on record by 25 times, releasing as much energy in a single year as our Sun will in its entire 10-billion-year life. Even more astonishing: these explosions don’t fade quickly. Instead, they remain stunningly luminous for years, making them cosmic beacons across unimaginable distances.
Hinkle first noticed something strange while combing through data from the European Space Agency’s Gaia telescope. He found light flares that didn’t fade away as supernovae do. “When I saw these smooth, long-lived flares at galactic centers, I knew we had stumbled on something big—literally,” he recalled.
To confirm the findings, the team turned to data from telescopes on Haleakalā, Mauna Loa, and Maunakea in Hawaiʻi, as well as observatories orbiting Earth. Over years of observations, they ruled out the usual suspects: no supernova, no routine black hole activity. Instead, they discovered a star, multiple times heavier than our Sun, being slowly devoured by a supermassive black hole in a disturbingly elegant process.
“This isn’t your typical cosmic smash-and-burn,” said Benjamin Shappee, a co-author on the study. “It’s a drawn-out, brilliant consumption—slow, majestic, and incredibly violent.”
Because ENTs are millions of times rarer than supernovae, each one becomes a golden opportunity. Their extreme brightness allows scientists to observe galaxies so distant that we’re effectively looking billions of years into the past. It’s a powerful new way to study how black holes grew when the universe was still young and chaotic.
With powerful next-generation observatories like the Vera C. Rubin Observatory and NASA’s Roman Space Telescope on the horizon, researchers hope to find many more of these spectacular events. “These explosions are like cosmic lighthouses,” Hinkle said. “They not only mark the dramatic end of massive stars but also illuminate how the universe’s biggest black holes came to be.”
In a universe filled with mystery, extreme nuclear transients are a reminder that the cosmos still has secrets—and some of them explode in light that can outshine a galaxy.
Source: University of Hawaiʻi News
Enjoying our articles?
We don’t show ads — so you can focus entirely on the story, without pop-ups or distractions. We don’t do sponsored content either, because we want to stay objective and only write about what truly fascinates us. If you’d like to help us keep going — buy us a coffee. It’s a small gesture that means a lot. Click here – Thank You!
