Massive stellar explosion recorded

9 May, 2007

The brightest stellar explosion ever has been recorded. A NASA report said that the Chandra X-ray Observatory and ground-based optical telescopes have recorded what scientists called a truly monstrous explosion, a hundred times more energetic than a typical supernova. Supernovas usually occur when massive stars exhaust their fuel and collapse under their own gravity.

Going by NASA reports, the celestial explosion was brighter than normal supernova occurrences and lasted longer than usual. This meant that the star that exploded might have been as massive as a star can get, about 150 times that of the sun.

The discovery of the supernova, known as SN 2006gy, provides evidence that the death of such massive stars is fundamentally different from theoretical predictions. This discovery indicates that violent explosions of extremely massive stars were relatively common in the early universe, and that a similar explosion may be ready to go off in our own galaxy.

According to a report, the star that produced SN 2006gy apparently expelled a large amount of mass prior to exploding. Another reports said that the star that exploded bore a resemblance to one in the Milky Way. The Eta Carinae had been found to be bubbling in the last few centuries as if readying itself for an explosion. Astronomers believe that the death of Eta Carinae could be the most spectacular star show in history.