The supernova ASASSN-15lh has been noted as the largest explosion in the history of recorded events in space. A supernova is the explosion of an existing star. The explosions usually take place in galaxies light-years away from our own galaxy, the Milky Way. The recent supernova took place in a galaxy light years away from the planet Earth. This supernova was discovered by the All Sky Automated Survey for Supernova (called ASAS-SN or “assassin”) a network of six telescopes around the world. It was named accordingly after the telescopes and numbered in the order it was discovered.
According to a Vox article the supernova ASASSN-15lh is the brightest and most luminous supernova to have ever been recorded. Luminosity is the measure of how much light and energy an object emits. A clip of the printed article on page 257 of the current publication of the Science magazine was posted to its website regarding the recent discovery of ASASSN-15lh:
We report the discovery of ASASSN-15lh (SN 2015L), which we interpret as the most luminous supernova yet found. At redshift z = 0.2326, ASASSN-15lh reached an absolute magnitude of Mu,AB = –23.5 ± 0.1 and bolometric luminosity Lbol = (2.2 ± 0.2) × 1045 ergs s–1, which is more than twice as luminous as any previously known supernova. It has several major features characteristic of the hydrogen-poor super-luminous supernovae (SLSNe-I), whose energy sources and progenitors are currently poorly understood. In contrast to most previously known SLSNe-I that reside in star-forming dwarf galaxies, ASASSN-15lh appears to be hosted by a luminous galaxy (MK ≈ –25.5) with little star formation. In the 4 months since first detection, ASASSN-15lh radiated (1.1 ± 0.2) × 1052 ergs, challenging the magnetar model for its engine
If one was to look to the night sky and locate the supernova ASASSN-15lh it would actually look dim to the naked eye. There is always something happening in galaxies far from our own. Everyday new discoveries are being made and the universe becomes a little bit less of a mystery each day. To stay up to date with the research being conducted be sure to check out NASA’s website and EarthSky.org. There is always something interesting going on in the skies above.
