The story
From being mistaken for a supernova.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Today it means: An extremely energetic stellar flare event that is bright enough to be mistaken for a supernova, but through later spectral analysis is revealed to not be one. Full definition →
From being mistaken for a supernova.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.