This Rare Cosmic Event Will Happen Again, and You Can Tell Future Generations Exactly When to Look Up
Indian Defence Review • • science
Key Points:
- Astronomers have predicted the future reappearance of a supernova, SN Ares, thanks to gravitational lensing by the galaxy cluster MACS J0308+2645, which bends and delays its light, allowing scientists to anticipate its return in 2086.
- This phenomenon offers a rare opportunity for precision cosmology, potentially enabling highly accurate measurements of the universe's expansion and providing insights into the Hubble Constant, which currently shows conflicting values known as the Hubble Tension.
- A second strongly lensed supernova, SN Athena, is expected to reappear within the next one to two years, offering a more immediate chance to refine cosmological measurements and test theories about the universe's expansion.
- Both supernovae were detected
