Webb telescope spots one of the most distant supernovas ever seen
In brief
Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope say they have found one of the most distant supernovas ever observed, a star explosion named AT 2026abck. Its light left the star more than 12.5 billion years ago, about 1.15 billion years after the Big Bang, and the team thinks Webb caught it only four to ten days after it exploded, Live Science reported on October 20, 2026.
Caught at the right moment
The explosion was spotted on August 7, 2026, during a Webb program called NEXUS that keeps returning to the same small patches of sky to look for changes. When Webb looked at that spot on May 28, the star had not yet exploded. The study's lead author, Mingyang Zhuang of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, told Live Science the team was lucky, because finding a fresh supernova this far away means watching the right patch at the right time. Unlike most supernovas at such distances, this one was found without a galaxy cluster acting as a natural magnifying glass. The research is posted as a preprint and has not yet been peer reviewed.
Why it looks like slow motion
Because the universe has been expanding while the light travelled to us, events in the early universe appear stretched in time. The researchers say the explosion looks about six times slower from Earth than it really was, so the 71 days between Webb's two visits equal only about 12 days at the supernova. At its peak it was about 8 billion times as bright as the Sun, close to the brightness of the whole Milky Way. The team thinks it may be a rare "superluminous" supernova, and more observations should tell.
VSH take: the slow-motion effect is one of the most mind-bending ideas in astronomy, and this is a neat real example of it. Students can try the maths: if a week at the supernova takes about six weeks to see from Earth, how long would a 30-day event look? Use our scientific calculator, explore space from closer to home with the ISS tracker and Live Earth from space, or revise science on our study pages.
This is our own summary of published research and science reporting. ViralScopeHub is not affiliated with NASA, ESA, CSA, the University of Illinois or Live Science.
Why it matters
Supernovas from the early universe help astronomers learn how the first generations of massive stars lived and died, and how the elements we are made of were created.
People also ask
What is AT 2026abck?
It is a supernova found with the James Webb Space Telescope that exploded about 1.15 billion years after the Big Bang, making it one of the most distant supernovas ever observed.
How was the supernova found?
Webb's NEXUS program repeatedly observes the same patches of sky. The star had not exploded on May 28, 2026, and the supernova appeared in images taken on August 7, 2026.
Why does the explosion appear in slow motion?
The expansion of the universe stretches the light and time from very distant events. This supernova appears about six times slower from Earth than it happened.
Related free tools: Scientific Calculator, Unit Converter
Sources
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