{"id":796489,"date":"2025-06-05T10:43:12","date_gmt":"2025-06-05T15:43:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/?p=796489"},"modified":"2025-06-05T10:43:12","modified_gmt":"2025-06-05T15:43:12","slug":"largest-explosions-in-the-universe-since-the-big-bang","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/?p=796489","title":{"rendered":"Largest explosions in the universe since the Big Bang"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure id=\"attachment_512576\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-512576\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-512576\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Astronomers have discovered a new type of cosmic explosion they\u2019re calling <em>extreme nuclear transients<\/em>. They occur when a supermassive black hole eats a star some 10 times the sun\u2019s mass. Scientists said on June 4, 2025, that extreme nuclear transients are the largest explosions since the Big Bang. Image via W. M. Keck Observatory\/ Adam Makarenko.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>Largest explosions in the universe since the Big Bang<\/h3>\n<p>As the name suggests, black holes are so dark that we can\u2019t see them \u2026 unless we catch them snacking on a star. And those stars do not go quietly. When a star gets too close to a black hole, the immense gravity shreds the star, releasing an outpouring of light and energy. Astronomers in Hawaii said on June 4, 2025, that they\u2019ve detected three different stars being devoured by supermassive black holes that released more energy than 100 supernovas. These are the largest explosions since the Big Bang. And astronomers are calling them <em>extreme nuclear transients<\/em>, or ENTs.<\/p>\n<p>The stars responsible for the extreme nuclear transients are from three to 10 times more massive than our sun. And these aren\u2019t just brilliant but brief flashes. The brightening events last for months to years, helping astronomers see an otherwise hidden part of our universe.<\/p>\n<p>Jason Hinkle at the Institute for Astronomy at the University of Hawaii was the lead author of the new paper. Hinkle said: <\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>These events are the only way we can have a spotlight that we can shine on otherwise inactive massive black holes.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The peer-reviewed journal <em>Science Advances<\/em> published the new paper on June 4, 2025.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_512578\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-512578\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/upl\/2025\/06\/Jason-T-Hinkle-IfA-e1749129386565.jpg\" alt=\"Young man with dark hair and eyebrows in a salmon-colored polo shirt smiles for the camera.\" width=\"600\" height=\"589\" class=\"size-full wp-image-512578\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-512578\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jason T. Hinkle of the Institute for Astronomy at the University of Hawaii is the lead author of the new paper. Image via Jason T. Hinkle.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>A new class of explosion<\/h3>\n<p>Astronomers have witnessed the gravity of black holes ripping stars apart before. They call this a tidal disruption event. In fact, they\u2019ve even witnessed the so-called \u201cspaghettification\u201d of a star, when it\u2019s stretched to bits near a black hole. But these extreme nuclear transient events didn\u2019t compare. Hinkle said: <\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>We\u2019ve observed stars getting ripped apart as tidal disruption events for over a decade, but these ENTs are different beasts, reaching brightnesses nearly ten times more than what we typically see. Not only are ENTs far brighter than normal tidal disruption events, but they remain luminous for years, far surpassing the energy output of even the brightest known supernova explosions.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Massive star being ripped apart by a supermassive black hole\" width=\"1110\" height=\"624\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/9v6v4U1n31k?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><br \/><em>Watch an animation of an extreme nuclear transient. Video via ESA Gaia mission.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>Spotting the largest explosions in the universe<\/h3>\n<p>The Zwicky Transient Facility at Caltech\u2019s Palomar Observatory in California detected one of the explosions in 2020. The Gaia mission found the other two in 2016 and 2018. Hinkle said: <\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Gaia observations don\u2019t tell you what a transient is, just that something changed in how bright it appears to us. But when I saw these smooth, long-lived flares from the centers of distant galaxies, I knew we were looking at something unusual.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Of the three ENTs the astronomers studied, one stood out. Astronomers named it Gaia18cdj. Gaia18cdj emitted <em>25 times<\/em> more energy than the most energetic supernovas. In just one year, astronomers observed it radiate the energy equal to the lifetime output of 100 suns.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_512581\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-512581\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/upl\/2025\/06\/ENT-NASA-JPL-Caltech-e1749131973441.jpg\" alt=\"A small dark spot with a bright arc of red streaming into it, and a ring of clouds around it.\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" class=\"size-full wp-image-512581\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-512581\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Artist\u2019s concept of a star glowing brightly as a supermassive black hole at the core of a galaxy shreds it. Image via NASA\/ JPL-Caltech.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>Providing insight into distant black holes<\/h3>\n<p>These extreme nuclear transient events are rare, occurring approximately 10 million times less often than supernovas. But they provide crucial insight into supermassive black holes in distant galaxies. Hinkle said: <\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>These ENTs don\u2019t just mark the dramatic end of a massive star\u2019s life. They illuminate the processes responsible for growing the largest black holes in the universe.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Co-author Benjamin Shappee of the Institute for Astronomy added: <\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>ENTs provide a valuable new tool for studying massive black holes in distant galaxies. Because they\u2019re so bright, we can see them across vast cosmic distances. And in astronomy, looking far away means looking back in time. By observing these prolonged flares, we gain insights into black hole growth during a key era known as cosmic noon, when the universe was half its current age when galaxies were happening places: forming stars and feeding their supermassive black holes 10 times more vigorously than they do today.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>These explosive events are doubtless having an effect on the environments at the centers of the galaxies. Hinkle summed up: <\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>That has implications for the environments in which these events are occurring. If galaxies have these events, they\u2019re important for the galaxies themselves.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h3>The stages of an extreme nuclear transient<\/h3>\n<p>The following artist\u2019s concepts show the stages of an extreme nuclear transient.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_512583\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-512583\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/upl\/2025\/06\/PANEL-1-ENT-UHM-e1749132792506.jpg\" alt=\"A large blue star starting to stream toward a black hole that is surrounded by an orange disk.\" width=\"800\" height=\"799\" class=\"size-full wp-image-512583\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-512583\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">An unlucky massive star approaches a supermassive black hole. Image via University of Hawaii at Manoa.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_512584\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-512584\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/upl\/2025\/06\/PANEL-2-ENT-UHM-e1749132803175.jpg\" alt=\"A stretched blue light attached by thin material to a black circle with orange around it.\" width=\"800\" height=\"795\" class=\"size-full wp-image-512584\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-512584\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The gravity of the black hole begins to shred the star. Image via University of Hawaii at Manoa.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_512585\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-512585\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/upl\/2025\/06\/PANEL-3-ENT-UHM-e1749132812507.jpg\" alt=\"Largest explosions: A large black sphere with a glowing disk around it, blue in the center and orange around the edges.\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" class=\"size-full wp-image-512585\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-512585\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A glowing disk of gas forms around the black hole, driving the explosive energy of an extreme nuclear transient. Image via University of Hawaii at Manoa.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_512586\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-512586\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/upl\/2025\/06\/PANEL-4-ENT-UHM-e1749132821617.jpg\" alt=\"Bright white dot in the center of a ring of light fading from blue through green, yellow, and red.\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" class=\"size-full wp-image-512586\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-512586\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The extreme nuclear transient begins to glow at the center of the galaxy. Image via University of Hawaii at Manoa.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_512587\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-512587\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/upl\/2025\/06\/PANEL-5-ENT-UHM-e1749132830886.jpg\" alt=\"A spiral galaxy nearly drowned out by the light of one very bright spot at center.\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" class=\"size-full wp-image-512587\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-512587\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The extreme nuclear transient is so bright it outshines its galaxy. Image via University of Hawaii at Manoa.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_512588\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-512588\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/upl\/2025\/06\/PANEL-6-ENT-UHM-e1749132838441.jpg\" alt=\"A spiral galaxy with a bright center.\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" class=\"size-full wp-image-512588\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-512588\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">More than a year later, the black hole quiets and the extreme nuclear transient fades from view. Image via University of Hawaii at Manoa.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Bottom line: Astronomers have discovered the largest explosions in the universe since the Big Bang. These extreme nuclear transients are massive stars getting ripped to shreds by supermassive black holes.<\/p>\n<p>Source: The most energetic transients: Tidal disruptions of high-mass stars<\/p>\n<p>Via W. M. Keck Observatory<\/p>\n<p>Via University of Hawaii Manoa<\/p>\n<p>Via NASA<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"cp-load-after-post\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"post-author\">\n<h4>Kelly Kizer Whitt<\/h4>\n<p>                    View Articles\n                  <\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"post-tags\">\n<h6 data-udy-fe=\"text_7c58270d\">About the Author:<\/h6>\n<p>Kelly Kizer Whitt &#8211; EarthSky\u2019s nature and travel vlogger on YouTube &#8211; writes and edits some of the most fascinating stories at EarthSky.org. She&#8217;s been writing about science, with a focus on astronomy, for decades. She began her career at Astronomy Magazine and made regular contributions to other outlets, including AstronomyToday and the Sierra Club. She has nine published books, including a children&#8217;s picture book, Solar System Forecast, and a young adult dystopian novel, A Different Sky.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/space\/largest-explosions-since-the-big-bang-ents-extreme-nuclear-transients\/?rand=772280\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Astronomers have discovered a new type of cosmic explosion they\u2019re calling extreme nuclear transients. They occur when a supermassive black hole eats a star some 10 times the sun\u2019s mass.&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":796490,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-796489","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-earth-sky"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/796489","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=796489"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/796489\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/796490"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=796489"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=796489"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=796489"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}