6/18/2023 0 Comments Scariest astronomical phenomena![]() ![]() The object is what is known as a transient – something observed in the sky that either appears and then disappears or changes in some dramatic way over the course of hours or days rather than centuries or millennia. Its name is ZTF20abrbeie, or, as astronomers affectionately call it, “Scary Barbie.” Barbie for its alphanumeric designation and “scary” because, Milisavljevic said, “It’s so much of an outlier its characteristics are terrifying!” The object, like all those observed, was assigned a random name when it was discovered. Milisavljevic, an expert on stellar life cycles – especially star death – noted that the data points to an extremely anomalous observation. In astronomy, things that are the most luminous are often the most energetic. “This is the most energetic phenomenon I have ever encountered.” If you take a typical supernova and multiply it a thousand times, we’re still not at how bright this is – and supernovas are among the most luminous objects in the sky,” said Danny Milisavljevic, an assistant professor of physics and astronomy in Purdue University’s College of Science. Instead, astronomers, acting as celestial supersleuths, uncovered evidence of the star’s death throes where it had hidden undetected for years in a mass of computer-gathered telescope data. One of the most luminous, energetic, long-lasting transient objects didn’t blaze through the night sky inspiring legends and launching civilizations. A distant star, dying a fiery and dramatic death, torn apart by a supermassive black hole in a forgotten corner of the sky. ![]()
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