Astronomers Shocked By Powerful Gamma-Ray Burst From Colliding Neutron Stars - ExtremeTech:
The universe doesn't always cooperate. Science has puzzled over gamma-ray bursts since they were first detected in the 1960s, and just when we think we have the basics solidified, something happens to upend conventional wisdom. Astronomers have spent the last year studying a gamma-ray burst dubbed GRB 211211A. Based on the power of the burst, scientists expected to find evidence of a supernova but have identified the source as a merger between two neutron stars, known as a kilonova.
[...] "Astronomers have long believed that gamma-ray bursts fell into two categories: long-duration bursts from imploding stars and short-duration bursts from merging compact stellar objects," said lead author Chris Fryer, a researcher at Los Alamos National Laboratory. The discovery of a long-duration GRB associated with a neutron star merger paints a more complicated picture of these transient stellar events.
[...] "It was something we had never seen before," said study co-author Simone Dichiara, an astrophysicist at Penn State. Scientists created models to explain the hybrid event, and scanned the afterglow of GRB 211211A. Kilonovas produce a distinctive signal, brighter in infrared than visible light because of the dense neutron-rich matter that is ejected from the collision. The teams used this signal to confirm a collision as the cause of GRB 211211A rather than a supernova. This discovery will force a reevaluation of the mechanism behind GRBs and could affect how they are studied.
See also: Rare cosmic explosion blasts hole in established science
Journal Reference:
Troja, E., Fryer, C.L., O'Connor, B. et al. A nearby long gamma-ray burst from a merger of compact objects. Nature 612, 228–231 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-05327-3
(Score: 2) by jelizondo on Tuesday December 13, @12:29AM (7 children)
I expected gama rays would burn astronomers to a crisp, not just shock them!
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Thank you, thank you; I'll be here all week :-)
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Kell on Tuesday December 13, @12:52AM (3 children)
Legit, I stop reading when someone uses the word "shocked" in an article title. Unless someone's actually been electrocuted, it's clickbait and not worth your time.
Scientists ask questions. Engineers solve problems.
(Score: 2) by mcgrew on Tuesday December 13, @01:41AM (2 children)
Yes, it's shocking that they would say such a thing!
Are you a dumbass, or have I been victimized by Officer Poe again? On the internet, he's law, you know.
Carbon, The only element in the known universe to ever gain sentience
(Score: 2) by Immerman on Tuesday December 13, @03:42AM
Nah, I've got to agree - if a headline (or article) says anyone, especially scientists, are "shocked" by something, it's almost certainly "punched up" click bait.
That doesn't *necessarily* mean the contents are worthless, but that's the way to bet. If they're going to lie in the headline, it's unlikely they're going to do due-diligence on the contents of the article to make sure they're not grossly misrepresenting the subject. And given the generally poor quality of science reporting to begin with, it's usually a safe bet that click bait science articles will be worse than useless.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 13, @06:43PM
Shocking isn't enough for me any more. I need it to be AMAZING!!! before I can muster a mouse click. Like the BREAKTHROUGH fusion technology that may REVOLUTIONIZE the world. That, I almost made it but at the last second - you wouldn't believe it - a monkey danced across the screen and I had to punch it it was awesome where's my Cheetos I'm hungry? MAAAAA the MEATLOAF?!!!
(Score: 2) by krishnoid on Tuesday December 13, @01:17AM
I know, me too [youtu.be]!
(Score: 2) by driverless on Tuesday December 13, @02:45AM
I read it as a Youtube video clickbait title: "You won't believe this gamma-ray burst caught on camera!".
(Score: 2) by TheGratefulNet on Tuesday December 13, @09:06PM
its ok, they had one hand touching ground, at the time.
wait, is that what you want or is that the opposite?
its their life, not mine. so I say, let them continue testing it.
"for duty and humanity!"
"It is now safe to switch off your computer."
(Score: 2) by mcgrew on Tuesday December 13, @01:37AM (3 children)
In Nobots, two artificially constructed neutron stars collide in the Acrux system (I saw the southern cross, you can see it from southern Thailand around Christmas) and the gamma ray burst destroys all fife on the southern half of all the planets in our solar system, burns the nitrogen, and the laughing gas... As it's set ten million years in the future, we are extinct, with different species descended from us.
So apparently my science fiction has beaten science fact!
Carbon, The only element in the known universe to ever gain sentience
(Score: 2) by mcgrew on Tuesday December 13, @01:43AM
Typo: Not Barney, I meant gamma ray burst destroys all life.
Carbon, The only element in the known universe to ever gain sentience
(Score: 2) by driverless on Tuesday December 13, @02:51AM (1 child)
Fife isn't exactly the most interesting place around but sheesh, if you're going to wish that on someone at least pick somewhere like Rutherglen.
Actually come to think of it, Ballingry, the Scottish Royston Vasey, is in Fife isn't it? Maybe the gamma rays are needed there.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 13, @08:12AM
Great, just what we need, a bunch of red-headed green giants stomping around going "Och aye, who's a wee god ya sassenach tosser"