Cosmic magnifying glass...

Cosmic magnifying glass...  An anomalously bright supernova was originally classified as a new type of super-bright supernova, because it was 30 times brighter than expected.  Now another astronomer proposes that it's actually a well-known Type Ia supernova, but is seen from earth as magnified by the gravitational lensing of an intervening galaxy (as seen from Earth).  The evidence for this new hypothesis is at the fringe of data the best current telescopes can provide – but newer, larger telescopes coming on line in the next few years should be able to settle the question...