Buzz
The universe is packed with so many bizarre occurrences that we scarcely react when we read about exploding stars, asteroids that knock planets off course, or black holes that stretch planets into cosmic spaghetti. But the following discoveries are so violent, peculiar, or far beyond human comprehension that they almost seem unreal.
10. An Extremely Bright Quasar
In the most isolated and obscure corners of the universe, extraordinary phenomena often go unnoticed or receive names that hardly reflect their grandeur. Take, for instance, the object known as J043947.08+163415.7—an unfathomably bright entity.
This is a quasar, the energetic heart of a black hole consuming matter so ravenously it cannot contain its hunger. The result is a massive burst of high-speed, ultra-hot material and radiation shooting into space. Quasars are among the most luminous objects in the universe, and this particular one—let’s refer to it as J—glows with the radiance of 600 trillion Suns. Yes, that’s trillions with a T.
The host galaxy of this quasar is a compact one, still in the early stages of its formation. This is how we see it now, but the discovery actually dates back nearly 12.8 billion years, near the universe’s infancy. Even more astonishing, this quasar would have been undetectable were it not for the gravitational lensing effect of a galaxy positioned ahead of it, which amplified the quasar’s brightness by a factor of 50.
9. A Collision Between Two Neptunes
Space is immense. Incredibly vast. It’s not common for things to randomly collide in the great expanse of the universe. However, scientists believe they've detected the aftermath of an exceptionally violent event: the collision of two planets.
This catastrophic event occurred in the ASASSN-21qj star system, located 1,800 lightyears from Earth. It’s thought that two massive, icy planets collided with each other, creating a stunning spectacle—two Neptunes crashing in a cosmic fury, forming a ‘hot, glowing mass of material’ hundreds of times the size of the original planets.
It’s important to note that while such random collisions are rare, they’re much more frequent during the early stages of planetary and (exo)solar system formation. During these chaotic times, large and small chunks of rock often collide violently, much like bumper cars, resulting in tremendous crashes. These types of collisions helped form the Moon, thickened Mercury’s crust, and even tipped Uranus onto its side.
8. A Star That Only Exploded Partially
Like a balloon that pops or a soda bottle dropping, one celestial body has propelled itself into space as a missile. However, it didn’t fully explode—it only underwent a partial supernova, sending it hurtling through the cosmos at an astonishing speed of 600,000 miles per hour (965,606 km/h).
The white dwarf SDSS J1240+6710 is relatively small, as suggested by its classification. With only about 40% of the Sun's mass, it likely formed within a binary system before flinging itself away from its companion star.
It consists of elements resulting from thermonuclear reactions, such as oxygen, neon, aluminum, magnesium, and more aluminum. However, it is devoid of the heavier iron group, including iron and metals like nickel.
Due to its strange composition, it attempted a supernova but lacked the necessary fuel. Consequently, it only managed a partial supernova, a rare and never-before-seen event, according to astronomers.
7. Tiny Stars Disrupt Debris Discs (To Form Enormous Planets)
Red dwarfs, small and cooler than most stars, possess lifespans that extend into the trillions of years. They are the most prevalent star type in the universe, making up around 66% of the stars in our galaxy. Despite having masses roughly half that of the Sun, they appear too diminutive to gather enough debris to build giant planets.
At first glance, it seems like a wasted opportunity in the grand cosmic design. Yet, recent discoveries by astronomers have revealed that red dwarfs can form planets at a far faster rate than previously assumed.
Supercomputer models show that the debris disks surrounding red dwarfs sometimes break into fragments. When this happens, they can give birth to gas giants that are up to ten times more massive than Jupiter, all within the span of just a few thousand years — a blink of an eye in cosmic terms.
This research challenges existing theories on planet formation, suggesting that a vast range of planets could arise in these mini solar systems, transforming small stars into creators of strange, otherworldly systems that defy our imagination. Even the tiniest stars leave a profound mark on the universe's layout, ushering in planets that are beyond what we thought possible.
6. The Wandering Black Hole Crashing through the Cosmos
Black holes, by their very nature, are dark and typically hidden from view. Occasionally, they either devour or expel matter, revealing their presence through chaotic destruction. At other times, these mysterious entities can quietly drift across space without any noticeable signs of their existence.
In February 2022, the world was captivated by the “first-ever clear detection of a free-roaming black hole.” Located about 5,000 light-years away, this black hole possesses seven times the mass of the Sun. After its original star exploded, the black hole was propelled through space at a speed of 28 miles per second (45 kilometers per second).
It turns out that this elusive object, possibly the size of a city — minuscule by cosmic standards — can be detected due to the slight bending of starlight around its immense mass. And there could be millions of similar objects scattered across our galaxy.
Well, there's yet another cosmic enigma to either be frightened by or marvel at in this vast, intimidating universe.
5. The Scalding Planet
Hycean planets, which are worlds entirely covered by oceans and encased in hydrogen-filled atmospheres, might be a common sight across the universe. Just imagine the bizarre phenomena or creatures that could evolve on such a massive sphere surrounded by a global ocean. Or, perhaps it’s better not to, as it’s pretty horrifying to think about.
Astronomers recently surpassed expectations with the discovery of a planet 70 light years away. This planet, twice the size of Earth, may have a seething ocean with temperatures surpassing 100 degrees Celsius or higher. Known as TOI-270 d, this planet weighs nearly five times as much as Earth and orbits its star in just 11 days.
Some scientists disagree with the ocean theory but share concerns about the planet’s inhospitable nature. Instead of a boiling sea, they propose that the planet’s surface reaches a scorching 4,000 degrees Celsius, all beneath a dense, oppressive hydrogen atmosphere. Either theory sparks the imagination (and plenty of fear).
4. The Cosmic Tyrant
Though there are no major galaxies nearby, our galactic neighborhood is home to many smaller ones. Among them is the Small Magellanic Cloud, located about 200,000 light years from the Milky Way. And nearby, there's an enormous cosmic T-Rex.
This massive creature is actually the young star cluster NGC 602, which resembles the fearsome prehistoric monster. The nebula takes on this shape due to shockwaves and intense radiation from massive stars. The energetic turmoil created by these young stars is sparking new star formation farther from the cluster’s center. The backdrop is ancient, with galaxies that are hundreds of millions of light years away.
Cosmic chaos doesn’t always result in destruction; in some cases, the shockwaves from these explosive events can trigger stellar births by compressing or colliding nearby gas.
3. The Realm Where Iron Rains Down
Hot Jupiters are like our own Jupiter, but they’re in close orbit around their stars, causing them to become unbelievably hot. A notch further up, we have ultra-hot Jupiters, which live up to their name in spectacular fashion.
One of the most notorious of these fiery worlds is WASP-76b, where it’s so blisteringly hot that iron actually rains down. Metals vaporize here, iron turns to gas, and molecules break apart into their constituent atoms on the planet’s day-side, which reaches a searing 4,350°F (2,399°C). And yes, we’re talking about the day-side!
This planet is so close to its star that it has become tidally locked, meaning one side is always facing the star, enduring relentless heat. The other side is trapped in perpetual darkness and cold. And by cold, we mean a frigid 2,730°F (1,499°C). The iron rain doesn’t pick sides, being carried to the night side by powerful winds.
2. The Greatest Explosion Ever Witnessed (or Told)
Last year, astronomers witnessed the most extraordinary cosmic explosion yet, an event 70 times brighter than any other explosion in the universe or anywhere else. So brilliant it overwhelmed many of our observation tools, it earned the title BOAT: brightest of all time.
This explosion is officially called GRB 221009A, a gamma-ray burst—the most violent phenomenon in space, second only to the creation of space itself. GRBs happen when supermassive stars explode and collapse into black holes.
The black hole that results is so overloaded with all the material it consumes that it ejects two beams from its poles. The energy it releases is so immense that it’s like ‘detonating a ton and a half of TNT in Earth’s atmosphere,’ even though this explosion took place 2 billion lightyears away.
If the beams from a GRB were to strike Earth from, say, 100 lightyears away, they would vaporize our planet. If they came from even greater distances, they would still sterilize Earth. This particular GRB was ten times more powerful than anything observed before and may occur as rarely as once every 10,000 years.
1. The Smallest Stars Pack a Punch
You know what they say about small packages—this holds true in space, where the tiniest stars unleash some of the deadliest solar flares in the universe. One such star, named J0331-27, is just 8% as massive as the Sun. Yet, in a few minutes, it emitted an X-ray flare so intense that it was ten times more powerful than any flare from our much larger and hotter Sun.
J0331-27 is classified as an L dwarf, which means it’s about as small as a star can be and still maintain its status as a true star. Its surface temperature is a cool 2100K, compared to the Sun’s 5800K. The exact reason this small star was able to produce such a massive flare remains somewhat of a mystery.
Usually, charged particles transfer their energy into a star’s magnetic field. The magnetic lines twist and contort, and when they break or collapse, they unleash that stored energy as a flare.
However, J0331-27 doesn’t seem to be hot enough to generate the energy required for such an outburst. Instead, it appears to store its energy and wait. When it finally releases it, the result is a single, extraordinarily violent event, unlike larger stars that release energy gradually through multiple smaller flares.
