‘The strangest supernova we’ve ever seen’: A star that keeps exploding — and surviving
A supernova signals a star’s death throes. Having exhausted its fuel for nuclear fusion, the star collapses, producing a gigantic explosion of matter and energy that can be seen from 10 billion light-years away. The supernova shines for a few months, then fades. All that remains after the cosmic light show is either a dense, smoldering core, called a neutron star, or a gaping black hole.
At least, that is what’s supposed to happen.
Some 500 million light-years away, in a galaxy so distant it looks like little more than a smudge, a star exploded five times over the course of nearly two years, spewing the contents of 50 Jupiters and emitting as much energy as 10 quintillion suns.
This isn’t even the first time this star has gone supernova: Astronomers believe this same body was seen exploding 60 years ago.
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