Godzilla (star)

Common card · No. 297164

Godzilla is a variable star candidate in the Sunburst galaxy at redshift z = 2.37 (or 10.9 billion light years from Earth), observed through the gravitational lens PSZ1 G311.65-18.48. It was originally identified in the NW arc as a possible transient event in images taken with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Godzilla was named by Spanish astrophysicist Jose Diego after the kaiju and makes reference to its monstrous nature. Other stars named after kaiju include Mothra and Hedorah, which shares many of the characteristics of Godzilla. As of October 2022, Godzilla was considered the most luminous star observable. This interpretation was supported by the hypothesis that the star was undergoing an episode of temporary increased luminosity lasting at least seven years, combined with an estimated magnification of at least a factor of 2000. Some spectral features in Godzilla resemble those of other variable stars in the Milky Way Galaxy, such as Eta Carinae, suggesting that Godzilla could be...

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