Astronomers Detect What Could Be the the First-Ever "Superkilonova" in the Universe's Explosive History
Indian Defence Review••science
Key Points:
- On 18 August 2025, gravitational wave detectors in multiple countries detected a subtle signal from a collision of two compact objects, one unusually small for a neutron star, marking a potentially groundbreaking event named AT2025ulz.
- Telescopes observed an unusual transient light source about 1.3 billion light-years away, which initially resembled a standard kilonova but later exhibited characteristics of a supernova, including hydrogen presence and a blue light shift.
- Researchers propose a rare two-phase explosion scenario where a supernova creates two neutron stars that quickly merge, producing both gravitational waves and heavy elements, possibly representing the first observed "superkilonova."
- The event challenges existing models of neutron star formation, particularly the
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