Most Brilliant Supernova

Supernova: 50 Times Brighter than Milky Way

Astronomers have been observing a fascinating cosmic event taking place some 3.8 billion light years from Earth.

Its the most luminous supernova in the universe.  Scientists say that its to be the most powerful supernova ever seen.

They say the object at the center of this celestial wonder, is pumping out the energy of hundreds of billions of suns and is 50 times as bright as the entire Milky Way.

The astronomers report that the object, now called ASASSN-15lh, might be a magnetar, a very rare type of star. But, even if it is a magnetar they say it is so powerful that it pushes the laws of physics.

The astronomers say that despite all its power and brilliance this central object is only about 16 km across.

The astronomers will look to the Hubble Space Telescope to finally solve this mystery later this year.