Rare Quadruple Supernova Predicted to Outshine the Moon in 23 Billion Years

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Researchers at the University of Warwick have identified a pair of white dwarf stars destined to produce a spectacular quadruple supernova that will shine ten times brighter than the moon. This significant event is projected to occur in approximately 23 billion years, far beyond humanity's timeline, according to a study published in Nature Astronomy on April 4.

The binary system, designated WDJ181058.67+311940.94, is located just 150 light-years from Earth and has a combined mass of about 1.56 times that of the sun. The white dwarfs currently orbit each other every 14 hours, but this period will diminish drastically, culminating in explosive annihilation as they advance to within 1/60th of the Earth-Sun distance.

Lead author James Munday remarked on the excitement of discovering such a high-mass system, while co-author Ingrid Pelisoli emphasized the importance of finding progenitors for type 1a supernovas near Earth. The upcoming explosions will enable astronomers to measure cosmic distances and understand the universe's expansion better.

Despite the eventual explosion's magnitude, Earth would likely be unscathed if the event occurred today, as our planet is expected to be long gone due to the sun’s eventual demise.

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