---
title: "Scientists Detect Huge Thermonuclear Blast in Deep Space"
description: "NASA scientists detected a thermonuclear explosion in space, which they believe was caused by a fusion reaction on the surface of a pulsar."
date: "2019-11-10"
modified: "2019-11-10"
authors:
  - name: "Dan Robitzski"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/danrobitzski.md"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/huge-thermonuclear-blast-pulsar-deep-space"
categories:
  - "Science & Energy"
tags:
  - "NASA"
  - "pulsar"
  - "space"
  - "the digest"
---

# Scientists Detect Huge Thermonuclear Blast in Deep Space

![NASA scientists detected a thermonuclear explosion in space, which they believe was caused by a fusion reaction on the surface of a pulsar.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/huge-thermonuclear-blast-deep-space.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: NASA\</em\>*

## Big Boom

NASA recently detected a massive thermonuclear explosion coming from outer space.

The culprit seems to be a distant pulsar, [the space agency reports](<https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2019/nasas-nicer-catches-record-setting-x-ray-burst>), which is the stellar remains of a star that blew up in a supernova but was too small [to form a black hole](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/astronomers-biggest-neutron-star.md>). NASA spotted the burst because it sent out an intense beam of x-rays that got picked up by the agency's [orbital observatory NICER](<https://futurism.com/nasa-autonomous-space-navigation.md>).

All in all, it serves as a potent reminder: space is an extremely dangerous, extremely metal place.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FkoWncpMYg

## Cosmic Annihilation

The August explosion released in 20 seconds the same amount of energy our Sun would need 10 days to unleash, [according to research](<https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/ab4ae1>) published in *The Astrophysical Journal Letters* last month.

"This burst was outstanding," NASA astrophysicist Peter Bult, who led the research, said in NASA's statement. "We see a two-step change in brightness, which we think is caused by the ejection of separate layers from the pulsar surface, and other features that will help us decode the physics of these powerful events."

## Space Forensics

Astronomers think the thermonuclear explosion was caused by helium that sunk beneath the surface of the pulsar and fused into a ball of carbon.

"Then the helium erupts explosively and unleashes a thermonuclear fireball across the entire pulsar surface," NICER head Zaven Arzoumanian explained.

**READ MORE:** [Scientists Detect Huge Thermonuclear Blast in Deep Space](<https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2019/nasas-nicer-catches-record-setting-x-ray-burst>) \[NASA\]

**More on space:** *[Pulsar Finally Found in the Andromeda Galaxy](<https://futurism.com/black-widow-chained-ladypulsar-finally-found-andromeda-galaxy.md>)*

## Author
Dan Robitzki is a senior reporter for Futurism, where he likes to cover AI, tech ethics, and medicine. He spends his extra time fencing and streaming games from Los Angeles, California.

### Author social links  
[Twitter](<https://x.com/danrobitzski>)

## More

- [NASA Has Developed Autonomous Space Navigation That Uses Pulsars](<https://futurism.com/nasa-autonomous-space-navigation.md>)
- [Mysterious Signals From Deep Space Hint at Something Brutal, Scientists Say](<https://futurism.com/deep-space-signals-brutal.md>)
- [NASA Image Shows Tiny Star Unleashing Furious Beam of Antimatter](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-antimatter-image.md>)
- [The Sun Just Blasted the Earth With an Enormous Solar Flare](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/sun-blasted-earth-solar-flare.md>)
- [Massive, Mysterious Objects Detected Floating Through Deep Space](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/massive-objects-pulsars-dark-matter.md>)
- [Mysterious Radio Flashes in Deep Space: Scientists Uncover New Cosmic Clue](<https://futurism.com/radio-flashes-deep-space-sighted-mystify-astrophysicists.md>)
- [Scientists Startled by Discovery of Small Star Swimming Through Outer Layers of Another Larger Star](<https://futurism.com/star-inside-another-star.md>)
- [We Finally Know What Caused the SpaceX Crew Dragon Explosion](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/cause-spacex-explosion-april.md>)