A newly discovered supernova that astronomers say is the brightest exploding star ever seen is baffling scientists all over the world.
The star, labeled ASASSN-151h, is about 3.8 billion light-years from Earth.
Scientists say at its peak, it is 20 times brighter than all the stars in the entire Milky Way combined and an astounding 570 billion times brighter than the sun.
What is puzzling astronomers is what is causing the supernova's intensity. They say every theory put forth so far about where the star is getting its energy from was soon found to be implausible.
The scientists are hoping that the Hubble Space Telescope can provide some answers and clear up questions about the galaxy in which the supernova resides.