Nature Mar 17
Ultra-bright supernova wobbles like a spinning top:
Oscillations in the brightness of a ‘superluminous’ supernova reveal it to be powered by a magnetized neutron ...
nature.com/articles/d41586-026-00490-3
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Nature Mar 17
Ultra-bright supernova wobbles like a spinning top: Oscillations in the brightness of a ‘superluminous’ supernova reveal it to be powered by a magnetized neutron ...
go.nature.com/4ly2tAi
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Key FactsNewborn magnetar explains superluminous supernovae’s brightness
Mar 11, 2026 · Reading time: ~45 sec.
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: scientificamerican.com
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: scientificamerican.com
- Superluminous supernovae can shine longer and more than ten times brighter than ordinary supernovae.
- SN 2024afav, about one billion light-years away, showed periodic dips over 200 days, with intervals becoming shorter.
- The study identifies a newly formed, rapidly spinning magnetar as the energy source, documenting its birth for the first time.
- The Lense-Thirring effect made the tilted matter disk precess; its shrinking made the dips more frequent.
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