A recently released study was able to confirm that a superluminous supernova, called PS1-10afx, was actually not a new kind of super radiant explosion as many scientists previously believed.
Instead, it was actually the light from a common star explosion that just happened to be magnified 30 times by a cosmic lens, according to the study.
Experts believe that another galaxy positioned itself between the supernova and Earth which acted like a gravitational lens that magnified the brightness of PS1-10afx.
PS1-10afx is a type 1a supernova located approximately 9 billion light-years away from Earth, according to the study.
The magnifying glass was detected thanks to some help from a telescope in Hawaii.
The finding could help researchers investigate the expansion of the universe, which is considered perhaps the greatest cosmic mystery of all-time.
PS1-10afx as first observed back in 2010 by a team of scientists who confirmed it was shining 30 times brighter than anything in its class.
They determined and reported originally that it was a completely new kind of stellar explosion.
"PS1-10afx was different in just about every way. It evolved too fast, its host galaxy is too big, and it was way, way too red," said Dr. Robert Quimby of the University of Tokyo's Kavli Institute, according to BBC News.
Quimby and his team eventually came to the conclusion that PS1-10afx was a normal Type la supernova magnified by a lens. The only problem was they had "no direct evidence for the lens," said Quimby.
"Looking at the spectra we could check to see if there was light coming from two sources at two separate distances, which is what we found," said Quimby. "There is a second, previously unidentified galaxy, hiding in plain sight in front of the supernova."
The lens was missed previously because its light was "lost" in the intense glare of the supernova, according to the study.
"Although the lens galaxy is closer to us, it appears fainter because it has older stars that, like flashlights with old batteries, don't shine as bright," said Quimby.
If researchers can find a strongly lensed supernova, they be able to measure how long it takes for each of the multiple images to form, which would help them measure how fast the universe is expanding, according to the study.
Quimby and his team were introduced to the supernova "long after" it had faded, costing them a chance to do follow up observations, according to Space.com.
Research was published in the journal Science this week.
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