Nearby massive star explosion 30 million years ago equaled detonation of 100 million suns
Tuesday, April 26, 2016 - 16:00
in Astronomy & Space
A giant star that exploded 30 million years ago in a galaxy near Earth had a radius prior to going supernova that was 200 times larger than our sun, say astrophysicists. The massive explosion, Supernova 2013ej, was one of the closest to Earth in recent years. Comprehensive analysis of the exploding star's light curve and color spectrum found its sudden blast hurled material outward at 10,000 kilometers a second.