cosmic distance ladder
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Webb Spots Second Ancient Supernova in Gravitationally Lensed Galaxy
Last month, astronomers focused the Webb Space Telescope on the galaxy MRG-M0138 and found something surprising: a supernova in the ancient universe, magnified for your viewing pleasure by the gravitational lensed galaxy. When stars die, they release a huge amount of energy which astronomers can observe as a bright light source called a supernova. The…
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A Vanished Supernova Will Reappear in 16 Years
Ten billion years ago, well before the formation of our solar system, a gargantuan explosion threw out vast amounts of highly energetic light. A star died in a dazzling supernova, and, though it happened so long ago, the flash was only seen in 2016 and vanished shortly thereafter. But if you missed it then, worry…