Rare quadruple supernova on our 'cosmic doorstep' will shine brighter than the moon when it blows up in 23 billion years

An artist's interpretation of a white dwarf exploding while matter from another white dwarf falls onto it.

A pair of circling white dwarf stars located on our "cosmic doorstep" are doomed to explode in a rare, quadruple supernova that will shine 10 times brighter than the moon in the night sky, a new study suggests.

However, this super-bright spectacle will not happen for about 23 billion years, meaning that humanity will not be around to see it — and there would not be a moon left to compare it to if we were.