Supernova triggered by black hole interaction seen for 1st time
Astronomers just found a supernova, SN 2023zkd, that happened as a massive star exploded while interacting with a black hole in a binary system—something we've barely seen before.
Detected in July 2023 by a real-time AI system at the Zwicky Transient Facility, this could be the start of a whole new category of space explosions.
How do we know this?
SN 2023zkd wasn't your average supernova—it brightened twice and had been slowly getting brighter for over four years before it blew up.
Scientists think the black hole's gravity stressed the star out, causing two big gas eruptions before the final blast.
What does this mean for astronomy?
Thanks to AI spotting these events early, astronomers can now study how massive stars die in extreme situations.
With new observatories like Vera C. Rubin coming soon, we'll likely see more of these rare cosmic fireworks—and learn even more about how wild our universe really is.