Long-sought Supernova Explosion Discovered
N ASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and ground-based optical telescopes have located the supernova SN 2006gy is the brightest and most energetic stellar explosion ever recorded and may be a long-sought new type of explosion. The top panel of the image is an artist's illustration of the event. 
The fireworks-like material in white shows the explosion of an extremely massive star. This debris is pushing back two lobes of cool, red gas that were expelled in a large eruption from the star before it exploded. The green, blue and yellow regions in these lobes shows where gas is being heated in a shock front as the explosion material crashes into it and pushes it backwards.
Atronomers deduced from the Chandra observation that SN 2006gy was caused by the collapse of an extremely massive star.
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