Episode 622: Finally! An Explanation for One of the Most Powerful Supernovae Ever Seen

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. More than a decade after that cosmic explosion, astronomers finally think they know what series of events led to the release of this much energy, now called a superluminous supernova. A red giant ate a white dwarf. An event so rare it probably accounts for only 1 in 1000 supernovae. Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at https://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at https://www.universetoday.com/ Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain Twitter: @universetoday Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Instagram - https://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / frasercain@gmail.com Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw Chad Weber - weber.chad@gmail.com References: https://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2007/07maybigsupernova https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2020/01/24/the-brightest-supernovae-of-all-have-a-suspiciously-common-explanation/#179f6c4e20c0 https://science.sciencemag.org/content/367/6476/415 https://www.mpa-garching.mpg.de/797272/news20200124 https://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/science/objects/cataclysmicvariables.html https://www.space.com/superluminous-supernova-explosion-explained.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZKiWGT4Za4&list=PLbJ42wpShvml6Eg22WjWAR-6QUufHFh2v&index=153&t=0s