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A star discovered in 2014 has exploded six times and none of the theories explain it

Ellsworth Toohey
Jun 19, 2026
∙ Paid

Lithopsian / CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikipedia)

When astronomers first observed iPTF14hls in September 2014, they identified it as a supernova and expected it to dim within 100 days. Instead, it kept erupting. Over approximately 1,000 days, its brightness peaked at least five times, varying by as much as 50 percent. Rather than cooling as expected, it maintain…

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