The supernova, called DES15E2mlf, occurred in a galaxy much more massive than previously observed galaxies with super bright supernovae. Typically these superluminous supernovae occur in smaller, metal-poor galaxies with metal-poor stars - bright objects in the early universe that have undergone only a few generations of stellar formation.
This new event confirms that supernovae occurred even ten billion years ago. This indicates that early stars could have accumulated enough mass to eventually destabilize themselves into these giant explosions more luminous than the typical modern-day supernova.
This discovery could in turn help scientists understand how galaxies formed. Galaxies in the early universe were not only less massive, but more compact than galaxies today. Understanding how these massive, ancient stars formed and died could help us learn how our own Milky Way formed, which was also once metal-poor as well.
Read more about this fascinating story at: http://www.astronomy.com/news/2017/07/superluminous-supernova
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