Astronomers have observed the largest cosmic explosion ever detected and is estimated to be 100 times the size of our solar system. Additionally, the explosion was estimated to be two trillion times brighter than the zenith of our Sun and remained visible for three years after the explosion.

Our universe is full of intriguing and awe-inspiring events, such as black holes wandering through space or galaxies colliding with each other to create even larger and more massive galaxies. When astronomers first saw the AT2021lwx, they were intrigued by the context of the event. Located 8 billion light-years away, this cosmic event did not disappoint.

The Zwicky Transit Facility (ZTF) first reported the largest space explosion ever detected. It was later detected by the Asteroid Impact Last Alert System (ATLAS). Both of these instruments are designed to pick up signals from space that see significant changes in brightness over time. These instruments often detect supernovas and even asteroids and comets flying through space.

This time, however, the objects revealed something much larger and much brighter. “We came across it by chance because it was flagged by our search algorithm when we were looking for some type of supernova,” he said. New Atlas Lead author of the new cosmic explosion study, Dr. Philip Wiseman.

According to Wiseman, most tidal outages, or supernovas, only last a few months at most before they lose their brightness and fade away. But this cosmic explosion has remained bright for three years since its first detection in 2020. It doesn’t take the crown for sheer brilliance, but the AT2021lwx is the largest cosmic explosion ever detected or observed by researchers.

Scientists believe a supercharged quasar could be the cause of such a massive explosion, but quasars often see fluctuations in their brightness as they vibrate up and down over time. The researchers plan to continue their observations to learn more about the AT2021lwx.