Super-luminous supernovae: seriously worth the superlatives

Supernovae are the brilliant, explosive deaths of stars. For a short time, these explosions can outshine an entire galaxy containing billions of stars. A recently discovered rare class of supernovae, termed 'super-luminous supernovae', are the most luminous and most energetic of these explosions. They are 10 to 100 times brighter and more powerful than 'normal' supernovae.