There's a rare kind of supernova explosion that's like a standard interstellar headlight – it's about 5 billion times brighter than our sun, and, crucially, it's very consistent in its brightness.
And now bright orange lights were growing larger and rounder on all sides; they could see the tops of buildings, streams of headlights like luminous insect eyes, squares of pale yellow that were windows.
Mr. Weasley's car was thundering down the slope, headlights glaring, its horn screeching, knocking spiders aside; several were thrown onto their backs, their endless legs waving in the air.
I could see Edward illuminated in the glare of the new car's headlights; he was still staring ahead, his gaze locked on something or someone I couldn't see.
When you're driving at night, you can tell how far away a motorcycle is by comparing how bright its headlight seems to you, to how bright it would be if you were right in front of it.