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A Supernova’s “Chirps” Reveal the Hidden Engine

The breakthrough occurred when astronomers analyzed unusual signals in the brightness pattern—known as a light curve—of SN 2024afav.

The supernova was first spotted in December 2024 by the Las Cumbres Observatory, which uses 27 telescopes worldwide to monitor cosmic events.

Researchers tracked the explosion for 200 days, expecting its brightness to fade smoothly as most supernovas do.

Instead, they detected a puzzling pattern.

After peaking roughly 50 days after the explosion, the light curve began oscillating with four distinct pulses, which scientists described as “chirps.”

While similar brightness bumps have been seen in other supernovas, none had ever displayed four chirps like this.

Einstein’s Gravity Leaves Its Signature

Researchers believe the strange signals originated from matter falling back toward the newborn magnetar after the explosion.

This material likely formed a swirling accretion disk around the compact object. Because the debris from the explosion is uneven, the disk likely tilted relative to the magnetar’s spin axis.

That misalignment triggered a phenomenon predicted by Albert Einstein.

According to general relativity, massive rotating objects drag space itself around them—a process called Lense-Thirring effect.

This effect caused the disk to wobble like a tilted spinning top.

As the wobbling disk periodically blocked or reflected light from the magnetar, the system produced a strobing pattern—turning the supernova into a cosmic lighthouse whose pulses were detected as chirps in the data.

First Supernova Explained by Relativity

Lead study author Joseph Farah said the team explored multiple explanations before settling on Einstein’s theory.

“We tested several possibilities,” Farah said, “but only Lense-Thirring precession matched the timing perfectly.”

That finding marks a historic milestone: the first time general relativity has been required to explain the mechanics of a supernova.

The Smoking Gun Discovery

By analyzing the signals, researchers calculated that the central object spins about 238 times per second.

Even more astonishing, its magnetic field measures roughly 300 trillion times stronger than Earth’s magnetosphere, confirming that astronomers had indeed captured the birth of a magnetar.

“This is definitive evidence for a magnetar forming as the result of a superluminous supernova core collapse,” said Alex Filippenko.

For decades, scientists suspected such an engine powered these dazzling explosions.

Now, at last, astronomers witness birth of a magnetar—and the cosmic mystery behind the universe’s brightest stellar blasts may finally be solved.