Brightest-ever cosmic explosion solved but new mysteries sparked - BBC News

The brightest burst of light ever recorded was caused by a supernova, but that prompts new questions.

5 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Aaron M. Geller Image caption, Artwork of the brightest cosmic explosion of all timeBy Pallab GhoshScience correspondentResearchers have discovered the cause of the brightest burst of light ever recorded.

But in doing so they have run up against two bigger mysteries, including one that casts doubt on where our heavy elements - like gold - come from.

The burst of light, spotted in 2022, is now known to have had an exploding star at its heart, researchers say.

But that explosion, by itself, would not have been sufficient to have shone so brightly.

And our current theory says that some exploding stars, known as supernovas, might also produce the heavy elements in the universe such as gold and platinum.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-68787534

---