The brightest burst of light ever recorded was caused by a supernova, but that prompts new questions...
Artwork of the brightest cosmic explosion of all time.
Researchers have discovered the cause of the brightest burst of light ever recorded.
The burst of light, spotted in 2022, is now known to have had an exploding star at its heart, researchers say.
Our current theory says that such exploding stars, known as supernovas, also produce all the heavy elements in the universe such as gold and platinum.
The team found none of these elements, raising new questions about how precious metals are produced.
Subsequent readings showed that the burst was 100 times brighter than anything that had ever been recorded before, earning it the nickname among astronomers of the Brightest Of All Time or B.O.A.T.Gamma ray bursts are associated with exploding supernovas, but this was so bright that it could not be easily explained.
As the light dimmed, one of JWST's instruments was able to see there had indeed been a supernova explosion.
"It could be that these gamma ray bursts and supernova explosions are not necessarily directly linked to each other and they could be separate processes going on," he told BBC News.Dr Tanmoy Laskar, from the University of Utah and co-leader of the study the study, said that the B.O.A.T's power might be explained by the way in which jets of material were being sprayed out, as normally occurs during supernovas.
The current theory that is taught to all astronomers at university is that one of the ways heavy elements - such as gold, platinum, lead and uranium - are produced is during the extreme conditions that are created during supernovas.
Is the theory wrong and heavy elements are produced some other way, or are they only produced in supernovas under certain conditions?