The Biggest Explosion in the Cosmos Just Keeps Going
New York TimesMay 12, 2023
A remarkable cosmic explosion, first captured by astronomers in 2020, has been revealed as the largest cosmic explosion ever witnessed. The event is believed to have been triggered by a giant cloud of gas eaten by a supermassive black hole per a study in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
A fast-moving burst of light was originally detected and recorded by scientists at the Zwicky Transient Facility in California three years ago. However, it took until 2021 for astronomers to discover this burst while reviewing the facility's data holdings.
Astronomers are observing one of the most violent and energetic acts of cosmic cannibalism ever witnessed, perhaps the biggest explosion seen yet in the history of the universe. For a phenomenon like this to occur, you need a giant star that is being shredded by an enormous black hole. The black hole at the center of this event might have a mass of perhaps a billion times more than our own sun.
An alternative theory suggests that a supermassive black hole is consuming a cloud of gas and dust, not a giant star. A supermassive black hole is often surrounded by a ring of material, which has been knocked off its orbit and is being absorbed by the black hole. As this is happening, shock waves are spreading through the cloud, heating the matter in it and shooting out bright light. The jury is still out on the true nature of this cosmic cataclysm.