2023-10-28 14:20:03
Scientists have observed one of the most powerful explosions ever seen in the universe, which occurred when two neutron stars merged and resulted in a gamma ray burst known as GRB 230307A. This caused a massive explosion that extended across the universe and might be seen from Earth. Scientists have observed it using a variety of ground and space telescopes, such as NASA’s new James Webb Space Telescope, according to Russia Today. Scientists witnessed this event when the collision formed one of the brightest explosions of its kind, a million times brighter than our entire Milky Way galaxy. It lasted for 200 seconds, making it relatively long, which is unusual for a gamma-ray burst resulting from the collision of neutron stars, and was thought to be impossible until recently. The results were reported in a new research paper in the journal Nature. In the followingmath of the explosion, the team discovered An important chemical element called tellurium. It is one of the vital materials necessary for the continuation of life on Earth, and this discovery may help explain how it first appeared. Scientists believe that these explosions, known as “macronova” or “kilonova”, might also be a source of other basic materials needed for life on Earth, such as iodine and thorium. “After just over 150 years since Dmitri Mendeleev wrote the periodic table of the elements, we are now finally in a position to start filling in those last gaps of understanding where everything was made,” says Andrew Levan, from Radboud University, lead author of the new study. Thanks to the James Webb Telescope. The new findings indicate that these elements, essential to everything around us, are formed in colliding neutron stars. Ben Gompertz, from the University of Birmingham, explained: “Gamma-ray bursts come from powerful jets traveling at almost the speed of light, in this case driven by a collision between two neutron stars. These stars spent several billion years moving towards each other before they collided to produce the gamma-ray burst that… “We observed it in March of this year. The location of the merger is the approximate length of the Milky Way (regarding 120,000 light-years) outside its parent galaxy, which means they must have been launched together.” He continued: “The colliding neutron stars provide the necessary conditions for the synthesis of very heavy elements, and the radial glow of these new elements powers the kilonovas that we discovered as the explosion faded. Kilonovas are extremely rare and very difficult to observe and study, which is why this discovery is so exciting.”
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