Redditors are losing their minds after witnessing an ‘amazing’ star explosion caught by the Hubble Space Telescope.
Have you heard of a jaw-dropping phenomenon called a supernova? If not, then you need to understand it’s what happens when a star goes through a transition period during its last evolutionary stages.
When a massive star collapses, it causes a gigantic shockwave that leads to the ejection of material into space.
When you compare it to how old stars can be, the visual event of a supernova is actually very brief, often only lasting a few months to a year.


Something the Hubble Space Telescope has captured is blowing Redditors’ minds (Nasa)
Due to the explosion taking place over such a short period of time, coupled with the fact that only a tiny fraction of stars in a galaxy have the capacity to become a supernova, the chances of observing one with the naked eye are around once in a lifetime.
Even rarer than witnessing a supernova is seeing rings of light or ‘light echoes’ spreading out from the star in the months and years that follow.
Luckily, the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) has done the hard work for you by capturing this event on camera.
The HST has captured light echoes emanating from a star in Centaurus A, a galaxy in the constellation of Centaurus, around 13.05 million light years away from the Earth.
This phenomenon, known as supernova SN 2016adj, was observed by astronomers for over five years as it slowly dissipated, according to Tech Fragments.
“The data set is remarkable and enabled us to produce very impressive coloured images and animations that exhibit the evolution of the light echoes over a five-year period,” said lead scientist Professor Maximillian Stritzinger of Aarhus University.
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One person said it was one of their ‘favorite images ever captured’ in space (Reddit)
This particular light echo that the HST captured over the course of 1.5 years, has been turned into a GIF, and it’s blowing Redditors’ minds.
“This might be one of my favorite images ever captured. That is so dang cool,” replied one.
A second typed: “Human beings have been around for at least 300,000 years and we all get to see this and so much more.
“Think about that, it’s overwhelming. It’s our inheritance, cherish it!”
Someone else typed: “It’s hard to put into words how amazing it feels to observe this. What a privilege. Our species is capable of greatness.”
According to NASA, the light explosion you can see on the GIF was traveling at a speed of more than 10,000 kilometres per second.
Earlier this year, supernovas made headlines once again when researchers revealed the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) had discovered one of the earliest ‘truly gargantuan’ supernovas ever seen.
This particular blast, designated AT 2023adsv, is thought to have rocked the cosmos around 2 billion years after the Big Bang in a massive, early galaxy.
Speaking about how JWST can move space exploration further, JADES team member and Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) researcher David Coulter said: “We don’t know how many [supernovas] the JWST will find but we can start to push to the beginning of these first stars and hope to see their explosions.”
Featured Image Credit: Reddit
Topics: Space, Science, World News


While no one aspires to find themselves behind bars, there are some countries that have better accommodation for inmates than others.
The ‘world’s worst prison‘ is said to be in Venezuela where President Trump recently sent over 250 alleged criminals to – Terrorism Confinement Centre (Cecot) can reportedly hold up to 40,000 inmates.
In contrast, some of the ‘best’ prisons to be holed up in are in Europe. In a thread shared to Reddit, people were surprised to see what prison cells look like in countries like Sweden, Switzerland, and Denmark in comparison to the US, Canada, Italy, and France.
Some people argued that the Denmark cells are even better than their own apartments.
“Brb, about to commit crimes in Denmark,” one person quipped, as another said: “Denmark is better then my apartment, let’s go!”


Center for the Compulsory Housing of Terrorism is a maximum security prison (Alex Peña/Getty Images)
Others argued that having such nice accommodation isn’t a good thing. One person pointed out: “Imagine having a family member killed by a criminal, and that f**ker ends up living in a place like this in a Danish prison. I’d be really pissed.”
Elsewhere people compared Sweden’s prison cells to a US college dorm room. Someone echoed similar sentiments about it looking like a UK university room as well.
Canadian cells seem pretty bleak, but one Redditor who claims to have once been incarcerated in the country said the photo shared in the post was more a ‘luxury’ room.
“I am Canadian and have spent time in jail and prison,” they wrote. “And I will tell you a cell like that, for one, is a luxury. Usually only given after sentencing and being moved to prison.”
The ex inmate went on: “In local and provincial jails that cell would have a mat on the floor for a second inmate. Or it would be an isolation cell for psychiatric patients. The jails look much more like the French and Italian cells but also have a third person on the floor.”
Another topic of debate in the thread was how the countries will the nicest cells allegedly have the lowest crime rates.
“Interesting: Sweden, Switzerland, Norway & Denmark, among the lowest crime rates with most beautiful prisons,” someone penned.
“Also these countries have among lowest reoffender rates,” they went on. “The public has a place to live low crime, universal health care, free or low cost university, highly educated population and high wages (even among garbage men and teachers).”
As per World Population Review, as of this year Denmark and Switzerland are in the top 10 countries in the world with the lowest crime rates. Iceland came in first place.
Featured Image Credit: Juan Camilo Bernal/Getty
Topics: Crime, Europe, Reddit, World News


Ever thought a KFC all-you-can-eat buffet sounds like a wonderful idea? Yep, me too. And once upon a time there actually was one.
KFC certainly has a cult following and one that would probably do anything for a fried chicken buffet.
And those who visited the chain in the late 90s and early 2000s will know all about the offering, but people who didn’t have the opportunity have been left blown away.
Heck, it appears that some Australians even want it back, and to be honest, I really don’t blame them.
Taking to a Facebook group, a user shared a photo of one of the old all-you-can-eat buffets in Western Australia with the caption: “KFC. Bring back the all-you-can-eat buffet. South Lake WA – closed the buffet in early 2000s.”


Yep, that’s a KFC buffet (Facebook/Old Shops Australia)
Many flocked to the comments section of the Facebook post, and perhaps as expected, everyone wants a KFC all-you-can-eat buffet back.
One person wrote: “I want one now!” While another said: “Bring it back.”
But for many others, the sheer idea these ever existed was a total shock – and not something they were happy about missing as one person wrote: “I feel ripped off.”
KFC buffets haven’t just blessed Australia with their presence either, Japan’s had them too.
The royal fried-line-up at a restaurant in Tokyo reportedly featured 50 different items including pasta, fries, curry, soup, salad, biscuits, dessert, and obviously, original recipe fried chicken.
There were even exclusives like Special Fried Chicken Soup Curry and rotisserie KFC chicken.
Of course, diners need something to wash the 80 minutes of all-you-can-eat food with, so there’s all-you-can-drink packages for both soft drinks and alcohol too.


KFC fans want the buffet back (Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Parts of the US have been treated to the buffet, with Insider reporting a sighting of one in Southern California in 2018 despite never being aware ‘such KFC build-outs existed’.
At this spot, diners could totally indulge for just $8.99 on as much KFC delight as they liked.
But for now, we’ll just have to dream of this fast-food fantasy in the hope they’ll return so we can pile up fries and gravy and as much of that original recipe chicken as our stomachs desire.
Remembering the good days in a Reddit thread, one nostalgic KFC lover wrote: “They just kept bringing plate after plate of hot chicken out. Good times!”
Another said: “Been to one of the buffets they have in Japan and it was glorious!”
While others remembered their favorite memories, with one commenting: “Ahhh KFC All-You-Can-Eat at Bondi Junction. $8.95 – where I chose to eat ONLY the skin off 6 pieces (because I could), downed it down with unlimited gravy and then proudly threw up! One of the most proudest moments of my 20s!”
Featured Image Credit: Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images/Facebook/Old Shops Australia
Topics: Food and Drink, World News, Nostalgia


Warning: This article contains discussion of medical condition which some readers may find distressing.
Doctors in China had to perform surgery on a one-year-old girl after finding a ‘parasitic unborn twin’ in her head.
A one-year-old girl was brought in to see doctors in Shanghai, China after experiencing ‘delays in motor skills and speech development’.


The one-year-old’s parents took her to hospital after she began showing signs of developmental issues (Getty Stock Images/ RunPhoto)
‘Abnormalities’ had already been detected before the child had been born at a 33-week examination, according to a study – titled Intracranial Parasitic Fetus in a Living Infant – published in the American Journal of Case Reports.
However, the examination hadn’t been able to identify exactly what was wrong, the study noting an ‘MRI could not provide more information due to space occupation’.
When the baby was delivered four weeks later, she was born with ‘a large head circumference’ and later on, more alarm bells started sounding when she was ‘only able to say “mom”‘ by the age of around one years old.
And after being taken in to see doctors in Shanghai, a head CT scan revealed a rare finding.


The head CT scan of the one-year-old (Neurology Journals/ Zongze Li et al)
The study explains the scan revealed there was a ‘large mass’ in the young girl’s cerebral hemisphere – the part of the brain that not only controls muscle function but also speech and learning.
The mass measured ’13-cam maximum diameter’ and had ‘internal bone structure’ with a ‘smooth boundary’.
The study adds: “Both ventricles and third ventricle had hydrops, with a fetal shape at a continuous level, along with apparent compression near the cerebral parenchyma.”
A fetus was identified as being inside the girl’s head, known as fetus in fetu (FIF) – ‘a rare developmental abnormality in which a malformed fetus is found within the body of other twin,’ as per BMJ Case Reports.
The condition – also known as a parasitic twin – sees one twin stop developing, but remain attached to its twin while that twin continues to develop. It’s extremely rare and is estimated to occur in one in half-a-million live births, according to a study in the Medical Journal of Australia.
Doctors ultimately decided to perform a craniotomy on the young girl.
“A craniotomy is the surgical removal of part of the bone from the skull to expose the brain,” John Hopkins Medicine explains.


Doctors performed surgery on the one-year-old to remove the fetus (Getty Stock Images/ Morse Images)
“Following complete mass resection, mouth, eye, arm, and hand shapes could be observed,” the study adds.
Sadly, despite doctors extensive ‘preoperative examinations, laboratory tests, and surgical planning’ and the patient being ‘unconscious’ under general anesthetic during the surgery, the one-year-old experienced ‘seizures that were difficult to control’.
She passed away 12 days after the surgery.
The study resolved: “Teratomas can be distinguished based on anatomy and imaging. Surgical resection is the only curative treatment and its prognosis is poor.”
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact The Compassionate Friends on (877) 969-0010.
Featured Image Credit: Neurology Journals/ Zongze Li et al
Topics: China, Health, World News, Science


Elon Musk made a prediction about the future of the internet back in 1998, which some thought was ‘crazy’ but was really ‘super obvious’.
Given his status as the founder of companies such as Space X, Neuralink and OpenAI, it’s fair to say Elon Musk knows a thing or to when it comes to technology. However, when he was asked about the ‘future of the internet’ over 26 years ago, the 53-year-old reveals people thought his prediction was ‘crazy’.
For those of us who weren’t born until a good few years later, the official birthday of the internet is considered January 1, 1983, with the world wide web only created in 1989 and the internet reaching the public by 1991. So, it hadn’t been around too long by the time Musk made this prediction.
Elon Musk’s ‘crazy’ 1998 prediction
In a clip from an interview between CBS Sunday Morning and Musk, the business magnate can be heard being asked: “What do you see as the future of the internet?”
“I think the internet is the superset of all media. It is the be all and end all of media. One will see print, broadcast, arguably radio, essentially all media folding into the internet.
“And what the internet amounts to is it’s the first of two-way communication medium that is intelligent. It allows consumers to choose what they want to see, when they want to see it and whether that be radio or that be print or that be TV or broadcast. I think it’s going to revolutionise all traditional media.”
Well, 26 years later and he’s not exactly wrong is he – Musk himself resharing the video on December 10 alongside the caption: “The crazy thing is that they thought I was crazy for stating this super obvious prediction.”
And it not taking long for social media users to flood to the post to weigh in.


Musk claims people thought he was ‘crazy’ for making the prediction (YouTube/ CBS Sunday Morning/ Twiwtter/ @elonmusk)
Reactions
One Twitter user wrote: “Just admit it. No need to hide it anymore. You’re from the future, right?”
“Prescient, seems obvious now but it wasn’t in 1998,” a second added.
A YouTube user wrote: “the fact his prediction was almost exactly spot on is crazy.”
Although, another commented: “A lucky guess.”
“Damn. Mic drop, honestly,” a fifth wrote.
And a sixth resolved: “What I wanna know is where are our flying cars?”