Ultra-bright supernova wobbles like a spinning top

• NEWS AND VIEWS
• 11 March 2026

Oscillations in the brightness of a ‘superluminous’ supernova reveal it to be powered by a magnetized neutron star that distorts the orbit of surrounding gas.

By

1. Adam Ingram

   1. Adam Ingram is in the School of Mathematics, Statistics and Physics, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK.

When a star reaches the end of its life, it sometimes goes out with a bang: an explosion, called a supernova, that is brighter than a billion Suns. The outer layers of the star are violently thrown into space and the core collapses into an incredibly dense ‘compact object’: either a neutron star or a black hole. The explosion first brightens rapidly, before gradually fading as the ejected layers expand and cool. Over the past 20 years, astronomers have catalogued a population of unusually bright — or superluminous — supernovae1. However, the extra energy source required for this brightness has not been clear. Writing in Nature, Farah et al.2 report observations of a superluminous supernova called 2024afav, which was detected using telescopes around the world almost continuously for six months. The authors uncovered fluctuations in the brightness of the supernova, which indicate that it is powered by a highly magnetized, rapidly spinning compact star called a magnetar.

Access options

Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals

Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription

$32.99 / 30 days

cancel any time

Subscribe to this journal

Receive 51 print issues and online access

$199.00 per year

only $3.90 per issue

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Additional access options:

Nature 651, 312-313 (2026)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-026-00490-3

References

1. Richardson, D. et al. Astron. J. 123, 745 (2002).

   Article 

   Google Scholar 

2. Farah, J. R. et al. Nature 651, 321–325 (2026).

   Article 

   Google Scholar 

3. Gal-Yam, A. Annu. Rev. Astron. Astrophys. 57, 305–333 (2019).

   Article 

   Google Scholar 

4. Kasen, D. & Bildsten, L. Astrophys. J. 717, 245–249 (2010).

   Article 

   Google Scholar 

5. Hosseinzadeh, G. et al. Astrophys. J. 933, 14–28 (2022).

   Article 

   Google Scholar 

6. Lense, J. & Thirring, H. Z. Phys. 19, 156–163 (1918).

   Google Scholar 

7. Everitt, C. W. F. et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 106, 221101 (2011).

   Article 
   PubMed 

   Google Scholar 

Download references

Competing Interests

The author declares no competing interests.

Related Articles

Subjects

• Astronomy and astrophysics

Latest on:

• Astronomy and astrophysics