Astronomers have recorded the most powerful cosmic flare to last more than three years - it is 10 times brighter than any supernova

Scientists at the University of Southampton in the UK have been able to see the most powerful cosmic flare ever. It is called AT2021lwx and has lasted for more than three years.

Here's What We Know

The AT2021lwx flare recorded took place 8 billion light years away from our planet. At that time, the Universe was only 6 billion years old. The event has been going on for more than three years, while supernova flares are usually only visible for a few months.

AT2021lwx is 10 times brighter than any known supernovae and three times brighter than a tidal disruption flash. The latter event occurs during the collapse of a star into a black hole. The leader in terms of brightness is the gamma-ray burst GRB 221009A. It was recorded last year and is considered to be the brightest explosion in the history of observations.

So far, there is no exact explanation as to why the AT2021lwx burst has lasted so long. One hypothesis is that a supermassive black hole absorbed a cloud of gas thousands of times the size of the Sun. Astronomers will continue to observe the object to test their hypotheses.

Source: Oxford Academic