Astronomers spot ultra-rare supernova 10 billion light-years away
Astronomers have found a super-bright, rare type of exploding star—called SN 2025wny—about 10 billion light-years from Earth.
Using data from the Zwicky Transient Facility and GOTO surveys, they caught this cosmic blast and shared their discovery in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
Gravitational lensing made it possible
A galaxy between us and the supernova acted like a giant magnifying glass, boosting the star's brightness up to 50 times.
Thanks to this "gravitational lensing," astronomers could actually see four separate images of SN 2025wny through ground-based telescopes.
What makes SN 2025wny special?
Spectroscopy at Keck Observatory confirmed its unique signature, showing strong ultraviolet features from elements like carbon, silicon, and iron—typical for these rare superluminous events.
What's next for this cosmic find?
Researchers plan to keep an eye on SN 2025wny with Hubble, James Webb, Keck, and other telescopes.
They'll track its changing brightness and use it to help measure things like the Hubble constant—a key number for understanding our universe.