A fleet of telescopes around the world recorded the earliest moments of a supernova explosion with unprecedented detail. The event has become one of the most thoroughly observed in the history of astronomy.
A burst of X-ray radiation was first detected by China's Einstein Probe space telescope in March 2026. Within an hour, ground-based observatories joined the effort and confirmed it was a supernova explosion—the powerful destruction of a massive star.
The star, which had a mass approximately 20 times that of the Sun, was located in a galaxy about 500 million light-years from Earth. The observations captured the moment before the explosion, the flash itself, and the subsequent brilliant afterglow.
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory played a key role, having just begun its ten-year sky survey. Its data complemented images from the Dark Energy Camera and other instruments.
Scientists have published the results in two papers. These observations provide a rare opportunity to study the very first stages of an explosion, which typically elude close examination.
How will such detailed data impact models of stellar evolution? A team of international researchers is continuing their analysis to better understand the mechanisms that lead to such catastrophes.
This event underscores the value of international cooperation in astronomy. The rapid response from multiple instruments enabled the collection of a unique dataset within a matter of hours.
