8.25 Galaxy's Biggest Supernova Explodes

UFP Infonet — 30 January 2174

The most powerful interstellar event in Federation history took place today as the star Phi Puma went supernova at the far edge of Federation space, destroying its entire star system and the nearby research ship USS Kepler. The crew of the Kepler had been monitoring the star’s variances and were well aware that it could go nova at any time. However, according to Star Fleet spokesman Marty Snyder, they were caught at unawares by both the suddenness and ferocity of the explosion, which exceeded their calculated safety parameters.

“They would have had enough time to escape if it had gone off as predicted,” Snyder said during the briefing. “For whatever reason, though, it went supernova instead of just nova. They just had just enough time to turn the ship around and try to ride the shockwave when it hit them. I would have done the same thing, but that shockwave was just too powerful. We lost contact the moment it hit them.”

The Kepler is currently listed as “missing, presumed destroyed.” Long range sensors have detected no sign of the ship. Long range estimates give just twenty-five years before the massive, radiation-soaked shockwave strikes Bayard’s Planet, the nearest inhabited Federation world. Preparations are even now underway to deal with this situation before the shockwave arrives.