› added 6 years ago

81

TIL that in 2014, astronomers discovered an Unusual Supernova that has been continually exploding since the 1950's. No theory exists that explains why this supernova eruption has lasted hundreds of times longer than typical supernovae eruptions, which usually last about 100 days.

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

nexaP TIL: Tashirojima an island in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. Has become known as "Cat Island" due to the large stray cat population that thrives as a result of the local belief that feeding cats will bring wealth and fortune. Here, the cat population now exceeds the human population.
66p8 TIL that the personal bodyguards of the Byzantine Emperor were primarily Scandinavians and Anglo-Saxons. They comprised the “Varangian Guard” which was also an Elite Unit of the Byzantine Army. The loyalty and honor of these “axe-bearing barbarians” became a trope of Byzantine writers.
vPPe7 TIL that Gravitational Wave detectors are so precise that they could detect a human hair's width worth change in length between the distance of Sun and Proxima Centauri, which is about 4.24 light-years!
YpZyx TIL Simon & Garfunkel's first album was so unsuccessful on the charts that the duo split. Their producer took one of the songs from the album, overdubbed/remixed it without their knowledge or permission, and "The Sounds of Silence" became a hit. The duo made four more albums.
m1dJE TIL a corporation can "own" a color. It's been reported that T-Mobile has filed the most law suits for using a trademarked color.