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The brightest supernova in the universe

Scientists spotted the sun that exploded in a burst of light in a galaxy far far away. The super-luminous supernova, labeled ASAS-SN-15lh and appropriately called Assassin, is 570 billion times brighter than our own sun. Doctor Benjamin Shappee of the Carnegie Institution for Science is part of the team that discovered it.

(Picture: An artist鈥櫬抯 impression of the superluminous supernova ASASSN-15lh (Assassin) as it would appear from an exoplanet located in the host galaxy of the supernova. Credit: Jin Ma/Beijing Planetarium)

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3 minutes