Astrophysical explosions are, to give a few examples, driven by the collapse of the iron core of a massive star (known as a core-collapse supernova), the consumption of spaghettified stellar remains by a massive black hole (known as a tidal disruption event), and runaway nuclear fusion on the surface of a white dwarf (known as a type 1A supernova). Such explosions occur frequently, but most often in distant galaxies, and only recently have astronomers been able to peer far enough into space to detect them in significant numbers—and many more are on the way.

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