Brilliant Cosmic Explosion

A small, bright object that first flared up in June could be the brightest, most powerful supernova ever spotted by astronomers. If it is indeed a supernova, the object ASASSN-15lh pushes the upper limits of what scientists thought exploding stars were capable of. And if it's not a supercharged supernova, it may be something even more mysterious.

A small, bright object that first flared up in June could be the brightest, most powerful supernova ever spotted by astronomers. If it is indeed a supernova, the object ASASSN-15lh pushes the upper limits of what scientists thought exploding stars were capable of. And if it's not a supercharged supernova, it may be something even more mysterious.