Cosmic Fireworks: The Mystery of Gamma-Ray Bursts

Gamma-ray bursts are intense flashes of energy that light up the universe. They were first spotted in the late 1960s, making them a relatively recent discovery in space science. These bursts are short-lived, lasting from a fraction of a second to a few thousand seconds. The bursts are caused by extreme events. One way they happen is when a massive star, much heavier than our Sun, loses its outer layers. Another way is when two dense objects, like neutron stars, collide and merge. These events release a tremendous amount of energy in the form of gamma rays. Scientists have been studying these bursts for decades. A team of astronomers recently made a surprising discovery. They found a gamma-ray burst that lasted nearly a full day. This is much longer than the previous record of about 6 hours. Even more surprising, this burst produced multiple flashes of gamma rays. The team has some ideas about why this happened. One theory involves a "disruption event" near a black hole. If an object passes too close to a black hole, it can be torn apart. The material from this object can then form a disk around the black hole. This process might create the conditions for a long-lasting gamma-ray burst. Gamma-ray bursts are not just a space phenomenon. They can also occur on Earth. Radioactive decay and lightning strikes are examples of gamma-ray sources on our planet. However, the burst discovered by the team was billions of light-years away. This means it was incredibly powerful. The team used the "Very Large Telescope" in Chile to make this discovery. This powerful telescope allows astronomers to study distant objects in the universe. The memory of this discovery will stay with the team for a long time.