Hubble finds telltale fireball after gamma ray burst

[n2doc]

(Phys.org) —NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has provided the strongest evidence yet that short-duration gamma-ray bursts are triggered by the merger of two small, super-dense stellar objects, such as a pair of neutron stars or a neutron star and a black hole.
The definitive evidence came from Hubble observations in near-infrared light of the fading fireball produced in the aftermath of a short gamma-ray burst (GRB). The afterglow reveals for the first time a new kind of stellar blast called a kilonova, an explosion predicted to accompany a short-duration GRB.

A kilonova is about 1,000 times brighter than a nova, which is caused by the eruption of a white dwarf. Such a stellar blast, however, is only 1/10th to 1/100th the brightness of a typical supernova, the self-detonation of a massive star.

Gamma-ray bursts are mysterious flashes of intense high-energy radiation that appear from random directions in space. Short-duration blasts last at most a few seconds, but they sometimes generate faint afterglows in visible and near-infrared light that continue for several hours or days.


The afterglows have helped astronomers determine that GRBs lie in distant galaxies. The cause of short-duration GRBs, however, remains a mystery. The most popular theory is that astronomers are witnessing the energy released as two compact objects crash together. But, until now, astronomers have not gathered enough strong evidence to prove it, say researchers.


Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2013-08-hubble-telltale-fireball-gamma-ray.html

[tridim]

1. It's amazing that NASA found that single pixel among the entire observable Universe.

[JohnnyRingo]

2. Thank you for not pointing that our way.

GRBs are bad news for anything that lies in their path.

...and thanx for posting.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

3. it was pointed our way

or we wouldn't have seen it at all. the good news is it looks to be a LONG way off...

sP