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Scientists still can’t explain what is causing unusually bright explosions in space — but a surprising observation might offer clues. Scientists still can’t explain what is causing unusually bright explosions in space — but a surprising observation might offer clues.
Four years ago astronomers discovered an unusual and powerful cosmic blast they nicknamed "the Cow." The mystery of what caused it and similar Fast Blue Optical Transients is still unsolved. Fast blue optical transients or FBOTs are flashes of light that are 10 times more luminous than supernovas whose origins are still unknown.
E-Mail IMAGE: The green and red solid/dotted lines denote different theoretical models. The turn over point of this light curve enabled the determination of material velocity from the explosion, magnetic field strength,... view more Credit: A. J. Nayana and Poonam Chandra Scientists from the National Centre for radio Astrophysics of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (NCRA-TIFR) Pune used the upgraded Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (uGMRT) to determine that AT 2018 cow, the first of a newly discovered class of cosmic explosions, has an extremely patchy environment. Sourc...