The universe is full of mysteries and phenomena that amaze our imagination. One such phenomenon is the gamma-ray burst that occurs when two remnants of ancient stars merge before the eyes of an observer. This event, called GRB 191019A, was detected by astronomers on October 19, 2019. The gamma-ray burst lasted about a minute, which is rare for such phenomena. The Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory immediately detected this gamma-ray burst and began studying it.
For several months, astronomers observed the fading afterglow of the gamma-ray burst source, using various telescopes and observatories. They found that the event occurred in the heart of a galaxy about 3 billion light-years away. The explosion occurred just 100 light-years from the center of the galaxy, near the central supermassive black hole.
This discovery has great implications for our understanding of the universe. The collision of stellar remnants and stars near a black hole allows us to better understand how stars die and what unexpected sources can create gravitational waves that we can detect on Earth.
Andrew Levan, the lead author of the paper on GRB 191019A, notes that this event is particularly interesting because it occurred in a very old galaxy. According to him, the gamma-ray burst was most likely not caused by the collapse of a massive star, but by the merger of two compact objects. Thus, we get the first evidence of a new way of destroying stars.
This discovery may have far-reaching implications for our understanding of the universe and may lead to new discoveries in the field of astronomy. We can hope that further research will help us unlock even more secrets about our universe.
