When something started brewing in the neighborhood of V838Monocerotis back in 2002, scientists thought they were about to witness a supernova. Yet after the initial dimming, the area gave off another flash, dimmed, and started again.
The unusual variable star V838 Monocerotis continues to puzzle astronomers. This previously inconspicuous star underwent an ouburst early in 2002, during which it temporarily increased in brightness to become 600,000 times more luminous than our Sun. Light from this sudden eruption is illuminating the interstellar dust surrounding the star, producing the most spectacular “Light echo” in the history of astronomy.
They weren’t sure what to call it, but it’s certainly a wonder to behold as you can see in this gorgeous timelapse they put together of the stellar event.
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