A Rare Supernova Could Solve the Hubble Tension

Bedtime Astronomy

Astronomers have discovered an exceptionally rare superluminous supernova, SN Winny, appearing as five separate images due to gravitational lensing. As its light bends around two foreground galaxies, it reaches Earth at different times — creating measurable delays.

These time shifts offer a direct way to calculate the Hubble constant, providing an independent test in the ongoing Hubble tension debate over the universe’s expansion rate. With global telescopes tracking this event, SN Winny may become a crucial tool for refining our understanding of cosmic evolution.

Thank you for listening to Bedtime Astronomy — your guide to the cosmos. New episodes on space exploration, NASA missions & the latest astronomy breakthroughs.

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Astronomers have discovered an exceptionally rare superluminous supernova, SN Winny, appearing as five separate images due to gravitational lensing. As its light bends around two foreground galaxies, it reaches Earth at different times — creating measurable delays.

These time shifts offer a direct way to calculate the Hubble constant, providing an independent test in the ongoing Hubble tension debate over the universe’s expansion rate. With global telescopes tracking this event, SN Winny may become a crucial tool for refining our understanding of cosmic evolution.

Thank you for listening to Bedtime Astronomy — your guide to the cosmos. New episodes on space exploration, NASA missions & the latest astronomy breakthroughs.

This episode includes AI-generated content.
2026-02-25 34 min Transcript
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