gamma ray bursts
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We Finally Know the True Power of BOAT—the Brightest Known Gamma-Ray Burst
The gamma-ray burst, affectionately dubbed ‘BOAT’ (Brightest of All Time), has been found to emit gamma-rays with energies reaching up to 13 teraelectronvolts, as revealed by a collaboration of scientists who have studied these emissions. Gamma-ray bursts are the brightest explosions the cosmos has to offer, besides the Big Bang—the explosion that happened 13.77 billion…
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Stunning Pinwheel Nebula Is A Cosmic Cataclysm In The Making
This image of a dusty, gas-rich nebula looks pretty, but appearances can be deceiving. Known as a Wolf-Rayet star system, it’s poised to unleash a catastrophic gamma-ray burst when it finally goes supernova. What’s remarkable about this particular Wolf-Rayet system, however, is that it’s the first to be discovered in our own galaxy. Cue the…
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Astronomers Capture Wild Intergalactic Gamma Ray Burst As It Happens
Snapshot of burst via S.Karpov, G.Beskin (SAO RAS and Kazan Federal University, Russia), S.Bondar, E.Ivanov, E.Katkova, N.Orekhova, A.Perkov (OJS RPC PSI, Russia), A.Biryukov (SAI MSU and Kazan Federal University, Russia), V.Sasyuk (Kazan Federal University, Russia) A flash of visible light recently appeared in the sky that, depending on your location, could have been visible with…