“Our analysis shows that the blast was sparked by a catastrophic encounter with a black hole companion, and is the strongest evidence to date that such close interactions can actually detonate a star,” added study lead author Alexander Gagliano.

Astronomers have discovered what may be a massive star exploding while trying to swallow a black hole companion, offering an explanation for one of the strangest stellar explosions ever seen.

New measurements of the galaxy at the heart of the “Cosmic Horseshoe” indicate that it could house the most massive object ever seen in the universe.