Astronomers are grappling with the perplexing phenomenon of a rare bright space event named the Tasmanian Devil, which, located about 1 billion light-years away from Earth, has been observed flaring up frequently, radiating more energy than typical stars. The enigma deepens as this dead star continues to display signs of activity months after its demise. Notably, the short, intense flares emitted by the Tasmanian Devil match the power of the original event that led to the star’s death.
This celestial anomaly was initially detected in September 2022, and it distinguishes itself from typical supernovae as a Luminous Fast Blue Optical Transient (LFBOT). LFBOTs, known for emitting bright blue light that rapidly peaks and fades within days, are already considered unusual events, and the Tasmanian Devil’s behavior adds an extra layer of peculiarity.
Lead study author Anna YQ Ho expressed the exceptional nature of this event, stating, “An event like this has never been witnessed before.” Professor Jeff Cooke, a co-author of the paper from Swinburne University of Technology and the ARC Centre of Excellence in Gravitational Wave Discovery, led the observations using the WM Keck Observatory in Hawaii.
During LFBOT flares, the Tasmanian Devil emits more energy than an entire galaxy containing hundreds of billions of stars like the Sun. The mechanism responsible for such an extraordinary energy release remains unknown. After the initial burst and fade, the Tasmanian Devil continued to undergo extreme explosions at a remarkably rapid pace, occurring over minutes rather than weeks to months, as observed in typical supernovae.
Professor Cooke emphasized the baffling nature of the September 7, 2022, LFBOT event, pushing the limits of physics due to its extreme energy production and short-duration bursts. The rapid burst and fade challenge the size limits of a source, raising questions about how such intense energy is generated from a relatively small celestial entity within the constraints of finite light speed.
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