This disturbance might take the form of a streaking comet or the shockwave from a distant supernova.

Not a pinprick of radiance, like a distant supernova, to mark the passing of a hundred billion worlds.

The acceleration of the universe's expansion has also been confirmed by observations of distant supernovae.

Some of the most distant supernovae recently observed appeared dimmer than expected.

The distance is estimated at roughly 1,000,000,000 light-years, making it the 'first' most distant supernova discovered by an amateur.

The discovery of the most distant supernova yet found is announced.

But if Einstein's explanation were correct, extremely distant supernovas should appear to brighten relative to some standard, rather than continuing to dim.

It shows up as a slight bend in a graph of how a distant supernova's apparent brightness varies with its red shift.

Just a few years ago, however, a study of very distant supernovas added a confounding twist: the cosmic expansion is speeding up.

It seems as if it has been around much longer, like a distant supernova whose light has just reached the eyes of earth.