Astronomers from the Institute for Astronomy (IfA) at the University of Hawaii have discovered a class of explosions that are the most powerful since the Big Bang: 'Extreme Nuclear Transients' (ENTs) or simply 'big booms'. These extraordinary explosions occur when stars with at least three times the mass of our Sun are torn apart when they come too close to a supermassive black hole. This process releases enormous amounts of energy observable at vast distances (Science Advances, June 4). ENTs are nearly ten times brighter than the previously known Tidal Disruption Events (TDEs) and can last for years. They produce more energy than the brightest supernova explosions known. The most energetic ENT studied (Gaia18cdj) emitted 25 times more energy than the most energetic supernovas.
