#CalTech

Astronomers have discovered the first-ever spatially resolved, gravitationally lensed superluminous supernova. The object, dubbed SN 2025wny, offers a rare look at a stellar cataclysm from the early Universe and provides a striking confirmation of Einstein’s theory of general relativity. The discovery relied on a chain of cutting-edge observatories collaborating on scientific breakthroughs.

A Caltech-led team using W. M. Keck Observatory on Mauna Kea, Hawaiʻi Island has mapped in 3-D the remains of a historical supernova that went boom in the year 1181 – it’s one of only five confirmed supernovae in our Milky Way galaxy ever seen from Earth and recorded in human history.

Black hole jets spanning 23 million light-years total length in outer space have been discovered by a Caltech-led team of astronomers using the W. M. Keck Observatory atop Maunakea on Hawaiʻi Island. The jets of hot plasma are the largest ever observed, according to the scientists.

Last fall, the telescope was removed and this spring and summer all buildings on the site were removed, the foundation demolished, and active restoration of the site was undertaken in accordance with approved plans and permits.

Astronomers have captured the first-ever spin measurements of HR 8799, the famed system that made history as the very first exoplanetary system to have its image taken.

Machine-learning techniques led a team of astronomers to discover a dozen quasars that have been warped by a naturally occurring cosmic “lens” and split into four similar images. Quasars are extremely luminous cores of distant galaxies that are powered by supermassive black holes.