The first-ever 3D simulation of the formation of a black hole jet reveals why mysterious gamma-ray bursts appear to blink and suggests that these mysterious phenomena might be much rarer than astronomers suspected. Gamma-ray bursts are the brightest and most powerful flashes of light known to exist in the universe. First detected in 1967, these blinding light explosions are generated when massive stars collapse into black holes, launching jets of material that squirt into space at nearly the speed of light.
Currently, satellites spot about one gamma-ray burst somewhere in the universe every day. But astronomers think that up to 500 may flash through the universe without us knowing every day. However, a new study suggests the actual number might be ten times lower. The study, by a team of astronomers from Northwestern University, simulated for the first time in detailed 3D the birth of black hole jets powered by collapsing stars. The simulation showed that as a massive star collapses, a black hole starts to form at its heart, surrounded by a disc of infalling material. In some cases, the material in the black hole’s vicinity can be accelerated into a jet that escapes the black hole’s gravitational pull. All this is happening while the nascent black hole is still surrounded by the envelope of the dying star.
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Denne historien er fra Issue 133-utgaven av All About Space UK.
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15 AUTUMN STARGAZING TARGETS
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MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE WHY IS VENUS SO DRY?
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THE MOON'S THIN ATMOSPHERE IS MADE BY CONSTANT METEORITE BOMBARDMENT
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Having explored much of the Solar System, attention is now turning to the stars beyond
NASA'S PERSEVERANCE ROVER FINDS POSSIBLE SIGNS OF ANCIENT RED PLANET LIFE
Further analysis is needed, but a rock contains potential evidence that life once existed on Mars in the distant past
A NASA TELESCOPE MAY HAVE FOUND ANTIMATTER ANNIHILATING IN POSSIBLY THE BIGGEST EXPLOSION SINCE THE BIG BANG
The massive explosion was captured in 2022
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BOEING NEEDS TO IMPROVE QUALITY CONTROL ON THE SLS MOON ROCKET
The NASA Inspector General's report finds serious quality-control issues affecting the upgraded version and expects cost overruns and delays
DARK ENERGY
THE MOST DOMINANT FORCE IN THE UNIVERSE IS ALSO ITS MOST MYSTERIOUS AND MOST UNANTICIPATED