Astronomers in Hawaii have identified a new type of explosion called “extreme nuclear transients” (ENTs), which are the most energetic stellar explosions ever recorded. These events occur when supermassive black holes tear apart stars three times heavier than the Sun, releasing an immense amount of energy.
The discovery was made by an international team of researchers, who published a study in the journal Science Advances. Lead author Jason Hinkle described ENTs as “different beasts” that are much brighter and more luminous than normal tidal disruption events.
ENTs were discovered accidentally while searching for enduring flares from the center of galaxies using data from the European Space Agency’s Gaia mission. The researchers found two strange signals in 2016 and 2018, which sparked a multi-year investigation. They later confirmed a comparable flare in 2020 using data from the W. M. Keck Observatory.
The energy released by ENTs is enormous, with one event releasing 25 times more energy than the most energetic supernovae known to science. This makes ENTs the most energetic known explosions in the universe. The researchers believe that ENTs will be useful for studying far-away massive black holes, as they are extremely bright and can be seen across vast cosmic distances.
The study’s findings provide insights into the processes responsible for growing the largest black holes in the universe during a key era known as “cosmic noon.” This period occurred when galaxies were forming stars and feeding their supermassive black holes 10 times more vigorously than they do today.
Source: https://gizmodo.com/astronomers-discover-most-energetic-cosmic-explosions-ever-observed-2000611708