A Flash in the Pan: Exploding Star Shines Bright, Fades Fast

While most supernovae studied to date brighten and fade over a period of weeks, a handful are known to evolve much quicker. KSN2015K reached its maximum brightness in 2 days and faded to half that in only 7 days. To explain the rapid evolution, the discovery team, which includes NOAO astronomers Alfredo Zenteno and Chris Smith, has argued that the star bumped into itself in the explosion!