Key Point Summary – Biggest space explosion

• Scientists discovered the most powerful explosions since the Big Bang.
• Caused by three supermassive black holes devouring enormous stars.
• These cosmic events are called “extreme nuclear transients.”
• Black holes brightened during the explosions, revealing their locations.
• The light from the events is helping astronomers study the early universe.

Biggest Space Explosion Ever Recorded

Astronomers have identified the biggest space explosion since the dawn of the universe. It happened when three enormous black holes ripped apart stars ten times the size of the sun. The violent blasts occurred 80 billion light-years from Earth, making this a historic cosmic event.

This discovery came from scientists at the University of Hawaii, using data from NASA and the European Space Agency. These explosions were caused by supermassive black holes devouring giant stars, and they outmatched anything the universe has seen since the Big Bang.

Black Holes Behind the Biggest Space Explosion

Black holes have such strong gravity that they swallow everything nearby, including light. The ones in this discovery are supermassive, located at the centers of distant galaxies. When stars get too close, the black holes tear them apart, releasing massive bursts of light.

These explosions are called “extreme nuclear transients.” They’re not just massive; they’re unique. The way the light brightened and faded confirmed it wasn’t a regular supernova — it was a star being shredded.

Barbie the Black Hole Strikes

One of the black holes has been nicknamed “Barbie” due to its catalog number: ZTF20abrbeie. It was spotted in 2020 by a Caltech observatory and officially documented in 2023. The other two were seen in 2016 and 2018 during ESA missions. All three are now featured together in a new paper published in Science Advances.

Jason Hinkle, a University of Hawaii graduate student, led the study. He said, “These explosions are the only way to detect massive black holes that are usually invisible.”

What Makes These Explosions So Big?

NASA explained that the energy from the biggest space explosion can last for months. These flares happen because the stars’ matter heats up as it falls into the black hole. That bright signal gives scientists a way to track black holes far across the universe.

Anna Payne, a researcher at the Space Telescope Science Institute, said, “We’re pushing the upper limits of what we understand about energetic space events.”

Unlike other blasts, these had a specific light signature — in X-ray, ultraviolet, and optical wavelengths — showing that the source was a black hole tearing a star apart.

What This Means for the Future

When scientists study distant space, they’re also looking back in time. The further away a blast is, the older the light we see. That makes these explosions important. They help researchers understand how the universe changed over billions of years.

Thanks to the bright light of these blasts, scientists can now find more black holes in deep space.

“These three events give us a blueprint for future searches,” Payne added. With this new knowledge, astronomers hope to uncover more secrets — and maybe spot the next biggest space explosion before it happens.