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December 17, 2025<\/p>\n
2 min read<\/p>\n
Add Us On Google<\/span>Add SciAm<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Strange Cosmic Blast May Be First-Ever Superkilonova Observed<\/p>\n The combination of a supernova and a kilonova may have produced a rare space explosion that astronomers have never seen before<\/p>\n By Claire Cameron edited by Clara Moskowitz<\/span><\/p>\n The final stage of a superkilonova.<\/p>\n Caltech\/K. Miller and R. Hurt (IPAC)<\/p>\n Astronomers may have discovered a never-before-seen cosmic explosion that effectively combines a supernova with a kilonova\u2014the blast that results when two dead, dense stars collide.<\/p>\n When massive stars run out of fuel for nuclear fusion, they collapse, triggering a huge explosion called a supernova that blasts light out into space. These cataclysms sometimes leave behind a small dead core\u2014a dense object made mostly of neutrons called a neutron star. When two neutron stars collide, the resulting explosion is known as a kilonova. Just one kilonova has ever been confirmed. Now astronomers think they\u2019ve seen a rare combination of the two.<\/p>\n According to California Institute of Technology astronomer Mansi Kasliwal, a co-author of a new study describing the findings, observations from gravitational-wave detectors and telescopes around the world together suggest the combo produced a third kind of powerful explosion: a superkilonova.<\/p>\n If you’re enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.<\/p>\n \u201cWe could rule out all other candidates except this one,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Kasliwal and her colleagues propose that, unlike in a typical supernova or kilonova, this event arose after a massive, rapidly rotating star collapsed into a supernova, birthing two neutron stars instead of the usual one.<\/p>\n Theorists have suggested this might happen when the core of a massive, spinning star splits into two in a process called fission. The two dead stars then collided, the scientists propose, generating a kilonova. Together, the combined explosions represent a possible superkilonova, she says. If confirmed, it would be the first observation of its kind.<\/p>\n \u201cNature is very creative,\u201d Kasliwal says, \u201cand when we attempt to unlock its mysteries, we should do so with eyes wide open!\u201d<\/p>\n The study was published Monday in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.<\/p>\n If you enjoyed this article, I\u2019d like to ask for your support. Scientific American<\/span> has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in that two-century history.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve been a Scientific American<\/span> subscriber since I was 12 years old, and it helped shape the way I look at the world. SciAm <\/span>always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe. I hope it does that for you, too.<\/p>\n If you subscribe to Scientific American<\/span>, you help ensure that our coverage is centered on meaningful research and discovery; that we have the resources to report on the decisions that threaten labs across the U.S.; and that we support both budding and working scientists at a time when the value of science itself too often goes unrecognized.<\/p>\n In return, you get essential news, captivating podcasts, brilliant infographics, can’t-miss newsletters, must-watch videos, challenging games, and the science world’s best writing and reporting. You can even gift someone a subscription.<\/p>\n There has never been a more important time for us to stand up and show why science matters. I hope you\u2019ll support us in that mission.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" December 17, 2025 2 min read Add Us On GoogleAdd SciAm Strange Cosmic Blast May Be First-Ever Superkilonova Observed The combination of a supernova and a kilonova may have produced a rare space explosion that astronomers have never seen before By Claire Cameron edited by Clara Moskowitz The final stage of a superkilonova. Caltech\/K. Miller<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":37895,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[50],"tags":[5476,5414,9480,15602,3780,20854],"class_list":{"0":"post-37894","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-environment","8":"tag-blast","9":"tag-cosmic","10":"tag-firstever","11":"tag-observed","12":"tag-strange","13":"tag-superkilonova"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37894","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=37894"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37894\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/37895"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=37894"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=37894"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=37894"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}On supporting science journalism<\/h2>\n
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