Days after capturing its first image, the James Webb Space Telescope surprised scientists with an unforeseen discovery.
The telescope has detected its first supernova in a distant galaxy called SDSS.J141930.11+5251593. The incredible cosmic event was observed by the JWT twice in a period of five days in late July 2022, NASA said.
What made the discovery even more exciting is that the telescope was not built for such finds.
Supernovas are tricky to detect because the explosion itself lasts only a fraction of a second and the bright bubble of dust and gas fades away after only a few days. So telescope needs to be looking in the right direction at the right time to catch one.
Scientists said the detection could possibly open up an entirely new area of research possibilities about the events that led to the formation of Earth.
