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Luminous Fast Blue Optical Transient (Artist’s Concept)

Illustration of one of brightest explosions ever seen in space. Called a Luminous Fast Blue Optical Transient (LFBOT), it shines intensely in blue light. It appears as a bright white blob left of center where blue-white and red rays sprout out from it. Toward the right of the image there is a spiral galaxy. To the upper left is another whitish galaxy shaped like a cigar. The LFBOT doesn’t seem to be associated with either galaxy.

This is an artist's concept of one of brightest explosions ever seen in space. Called a Luminous Fast Blue Optical Transient (LFBOT), it shines intensely in blue light and evolves rapidly, reaching peak brightness and fading again in a matter of days, unlike supernovae which take weeks or months to dim. Only a handful of previous LFBOTs have been discovered since 2018. And they all happen inside galaxies where stars are being born. But this illustration shows that Hubble discovered the LFBOT flash seen in 2023 happened between galaxies. This only compounds the mystery of what these transient events are. Because astronomers don't know the underling process behind LFBOTs, the explosion shown here is purely conjecture based on some known transient phenomenon.

  • Release Date
    October 5, 2023
  • Science Release
    NASA’s Hubble Finds Bizarre Explosion in Unexpected Place
    Read the release
  • Credit
    NASA, ESA, NSF’s NOIRLab, Mark Garlick, Mahdi Zamani

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Related Images & Videos

This Hubble photograph shows three galaxies against the velvet-black backdrop of space. The largest is the white and blue spiral-shaped galaxy at image center. Two smaller galaxies are whitish patches toward the left. A curious white spot near the top of the image is the brilliant glow from some unknown object that exploded, but is not associated with any of the galaxies.

Hubble Views Bright Outburst Far from Galaxies

A Hubble Space Telescope image of a Luminous Fast Blue Optical Transient (LFBOT) designated AT2023fhn, indicated by pointers. It shines intensely in blue light and evolves rapidly, reaching peak brightness and fading again in a matter of days, unlike supernovae which take weeks...

Image titled “AT2023fhn HST WFC3/UVIS” with color key, scale bar and compass arrows shows three galaxies against the velvet-black backdrop of space. The largest is the white and blue spiral-shaped galaxy at image center. Two smaller galaxies are whitish patches toward the left. A curious white spot near the top of the image is the brilliant glow from some unknown object that exploded, but is not associated with any of the galaxies. A color key showing the Hubble instrument filter used to create the image is provided at top left below, the image title. The assigned filter color is blue: F555W V. At bottom right is a white scale bar labeled “5 arcseconds.” At lower right are white compass arrows indicating the orientation of the image on the sky. The east arrow points in the 9 o’clock direction. The north arrow points towards 12 o’clock.

Hubble Views Bright Outburst Far from Galaxies (Compass Image)

Image titled "AT2023fhn HST WFC3/UVIS" with color key, scale bar and compass arrows shows three galaxies against the velvet-black backdrop of space.  The largest is the white and blue spiral-shaped galaxy at image center. Two smaller galaxies are whitish patches toward the left....

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Last Updated
Mar 28, 2025
Contact
Media

Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov

Artwork Credit

NASA, ESA, NSF’s NOIRLab, Mark Garlick, Mahdi Zamani

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