'Brightest Supernova Ever' Was Actually Monster Black Hole's Violent Star Slashing

An incredibly luminous outburst that astronomers had previously classified as possibly the brightest supernova ever actually might have been caused by the explosive death of a star torn apart by a giant black hole, a new study finds. Supernovas are explosions that can happen when stars die, either after running out of fuel or gaining a sudden influx of new material. Recently, scientists discovered a very rare class of supernova, known as superluminous supernovas.