Astronomers Discover 'Heavy Metal' Supernova Rocking Out
Monday, July 31, 2017 - 09:52
in Astronomy & Space
A team of astronomers led by the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics has discovered that an extraordinarily bright supernova occurred in a surprising location. This "heavy metal" supernova discovery challenges current ideas of how and where such super-charged supernovas occur. In the past decade, astronomers have discovered about 50 supernovas, out of the thousands known, that are particularly powerful. Following the recent discovery of one of these, the researchers have uncovered vital clues about where some of these extraordinary objects come from.