Possible superluminous supernova becomes object of intense study
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.029031
New Scientist : What may prove to be the most intrinsically luminous supernova ever seen was spotted 14 June by the All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae , a collection of a half dozen 14-cm ground-based telescopes. One hundred times more luminous than normal supernovae, ASASSN-15lh has since become the object of study by several other telescopes, including those on board NASA’s Swift spacecraft. Discovered nine days after its peak brightness, the supernova is expected to fade over the next 100 days. As it fades, scientists hope to learn more about it, particularly whether it was indeed a supernova and whether a connection exists between superluminous supernovae and gamma-ray bursts, high-energy radiation associated with extremely energetic explosions in distant galaxies.
