---
title: "This Is the Most Brutal Supernova in Recorded History"
description: "Scientists believe they spotted the supernova of the largest star to ever detonate, giving them a glimpse into the universe's past."
date: "2019-08-16"
modified: "2019-08-16"
authors:
  - name: "Dan Robitzski"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/danrobitzski"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/brutal-supernova-recorded-history"
categories:
  - "Science & Energy"
tags:
  - "space"
  - "supernova"
  - "the digest"
---

# This Is the Most Brutal Supernova in Recorded History

![Scientists believe they spotted the supernova of the largest star to ever detonate, giving them a glimpse into the universe's past.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/brutal-supernova-recorded-history.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: NASA/Victor Tangermann\</em\>*

## Big Boom

Scientists believe they witnessed the explosion of the most massive star to ever detonate into a supernova.

The European Space Agency scientists spotted the stellar explosion, dubbed SN2016iet, back in 2016 — but it took three years of analysis and follow-up investigations for them to comprehend they had seen, *[CNN ](<https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/15/world/massive-star-supernova-scn-trnd/index.html>)*[reports](<https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/15/world/massive-star-supernova-scn-trnd/index.html>). That's because SN2016iet totally contradicted scientists' understanding of how supernovas are supposed to behave.

## Misfire

The giant supernova lasted longer and gave off more energy [than a typical supernova](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/radioactive-dust-supernova-antarctica>). But it also had a bizarre chemical signature, with less metal than any other supernova the scientists had seen, [according to research](<https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/ab2f92>) published Thursday in *The Astrophysical Journal*.

"When we first realized how thoroughly unusual SN2016iet is my reaction was 'whoa — did something go horribly wrong with our data?'" Harvard graduate student Sebastian Gomez told *CNN*.

## Lone Survivor

The scientists suspect that supernovas like SN2016iet used to be more common, but that the giant, old-school stars that would cause them have all already died off. That gives them a unique opportunity to probe this last explosion for a better understanding of the universe's chaotic past.

"Most supernovas fade away and become invisible against the glare of their host galaxies within a few months. But because SN2016iet is so bright and so isolated we can study its evolution for years to come," Gomez told *CNN*. "These observations are already in progress and we can't wait to see what other surprises this supernova has in store for us."

**READ MORE:** [This is the most massive star ever destroyed by a supernova](<https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/15/world/massive-star-supernova-scn-trnd/index.html>) \[*CNN*\]

**More on supernovas:** *[The World's Strongest Laser Is About to Simulate a Supernova](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/strongest-laser-simulate-supernova>)*

## 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>)