Christopher L. Fryer

Some explosions in space last only a few days, but at their peak they outshine entire galaxies. These are LFBOTs — rapid blue transients. They are rare and have been a mystery until now. Astronomers studied 11 such events.

A shockwave erupts from the star's surface, and for a brief moment, a blinding flash of ultraviolet and X-rays is born. This very event, named EP260321a, was spotted by the Einstein space telescope in March 2026. The light took about 450 million years to reach Earth.