Astronomers Identify 4th Star-Death Path in 1-Minute Burst Near Black Hole
Updated
Updated · Sky at Night Magazine · Jul 6
Astronomers Identify 4th Star-Death Path in 1-Minute Burst Near Black Hole
3 articles · Updated · Sky at Night Magazine · Jul 6
Summary
A long-duration gamma-ray burst detected on Oct. 19, 2019 has been traced to colliding stars or stellar remnants near a supermassive black hole, giving astronomers what they call a fourth way for stars to die.
Gemini South observations pinned the afterglow to a region less than 100 light-years from the center of an ancient galaxy, making a collapsing massive star unlikely and pointing instead to a merger of compact objects.
The burst lasted about a minute—unusually long for this kind of event—and suggests dense galactic cores packed with white dwarfs, neutron stars and black holes can drive fatal collisions.
Andrew Levan's team said the finding could widen the known sources of gravitational waves, with future searches expected to pair gamma-ray burst detections with ripples in spacetime.
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory, now beginning sky surveys, is expected to help find more such events and test whether black-hole neighborhoods are a significant stellar graveyard.
Does this new stellar death change our hunt for gravitational waves from the universe's most violent collisions?
How will the recently rescued Swift telescope help uncover more of these newly found stellar graveyards?
Why are the centers of ancient galaxies the perfect crucible for forging these new, cataclysmic stellar deaths?
The Fourth Pathway for Stellar Demise: GRB 191019A Reveals a New Mechanism for Gamma-Ray Bursts
Overview
GRB 191019A, discovered on October 19, 2019, stands out as a remarkable outlier among gamma-ray bursts. Its unique features challenge existing classifications and prompt scientists to rethink how such cosmic events occur. By studying GRB 191019A, researchers gain valuable insights into the vast diversity of high-energy explosions in the universe. These rare exceptions play a critical role in advancing scientific knowledge, offering clues about new physical processes and different ways stars can die. As a focal point for research, GRB 191019A helps push the boundaries of our understanding of the cosmos.