Astronomers Capture 'Exceptionally Rare' Star Explosion for Only the Second Time in 20 Years
Astronomers have captured a rare 'shock breakout' from a supernova, identified as SN 2026gzf, using the Einstein Probe satellite and ground-based telescopes. This event marks only the second time in two decades that scientists have observed the precise moment a stellar explosion breaks through a star's surface.
Why it matters
Observing the initial light of a supernova provides critical data on the physics of star death and the evolution of the universe.
In March, the Einstein Probe, a satellite made by the Chinese Academy of Sciences in partnership with the European Space Agency, detected a very brief flash of “soft X-rays” emitted by a galaxy about 500 million light-years away. Within an hour, ground-based telescopes, including several at National Science Foundation (NSF) NOIRLab facilities, began investigating the region, getting a front-row seat to bombastic and very special star death.
Telescopes like the U.S. Department of Energy’s Dark Energy Camera, the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Nicholas U. Mayall 4-meter telescope, and the NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory all turned their telescopes toward the flash, named EP260321a. Within an hour of monitoring the region, scientists discovered that the source of the soft X-ray detected by the Einstein Probe was a “rapidly brightening supernova,” later named SN 2026gzf.
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