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NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope captured three
separate moments

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in a far-off supernova explosion in a single snapshot.

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These moments provide a unique glimpse into
the supernova’s early life.

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It is quite rare to detect a supernova explosion
at a very early stage,

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because that stage is so short.

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It only lasts for hours to a few days, and
it can be easily missed.

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The star exploded more than 11 billion years
ago, when the universe was less than one fifth

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of its current age of 13.8 billion years.

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In a single exposure, Hubble captured the
supernova’s rapid change of color, which

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indicates temperature change.

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The early, hotter phase appears blue.

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As the supernova cooled, its light turned
redder.

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This detection was possible through a phenomenon
called gravitational lensing, as first predicted

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by Einstein’s theory of general relativity.

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In this case, the immense gravity of the galaxy
cluster Abell 370 both bent and magnified

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the light from the more distant supernova
located behind the cluster,

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like a giant cosmic lens.

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This lensing effect split and warped the supernova’s
light,

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bending it along separate pathways of varying lengths.

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The different travel times between each path
created a time delay that produced three distinct

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images of the explosion at different times
that arrived at Earth simultaneously.

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This is the first detailed look at a supernova

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at such an early time of the universe’s evolution.

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The research could help scientists learn more
about the formation of stars and galaxies

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in the young universe.

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