ISLAMABAD: Scientists have made a groundbreaking discovery of a massive explosion originating from an ancient galaxy located approximately three billion light-years away from Earth. The explosion, believed to be the result of a collision between two neutron stars near a supermassive black hole within a densely packed galactic environment, has left astronomers in awe, according to a report by Reuters.
This particular galaxy harbored stars as old as several billion years, providing valuable insight into the cosmic phenomena that unfolded within it. The research, published in the journal Nature Astronomy, suggests that the colliding stars were neutron stars with a mass equivalent to our sun but compressed into a space as small as a city.
Andrew Levan, an astronomer from Radboud University in the Netherlands and the lead author of the study, explained, “In order to explain the gamma-ray burst, it has to have been a compact star, so not one like the sun.” Gamma-ray bursts are considered the most powerful explosions in the universe, releasing an unparalleled amount of energy within a given timeframe.
Co-author Wen-fai Fong, an astrophysicist from Northwestern University in Illinois, stated, “So they are really superlative in their properties. Their name comes from the first type of light that we see, gamma rays, but they actually emit across the electromagnetic spectrum.”
The researchers further postulate that the immense gravitational forces exerted by the supermassive black hole could have disturbed the motion of nearby stars and objects, significantly increasing the likelihood of collisions akin to a demolition derby.
Stars in Universe Die in Predictable Way
Levan emphasized the significance of this finding, stating, “Most stars in the universe die in a predictable way, which is just based on their mass. This research shows a new route to stellar destruction.” The concept of stellar deaths through collisions in dense regions has been proposed since the 1980s, and the observational discovery of the corresponding signatures has been eagerly awaited for four decades.
Fong elaborated on the nature of the galaxy, describing it as “quiescent”—a galaxy that is no longer actively forming stars at a high rate and has surpassed its prime. Such galaxies are characterized by their substantial mass and the presence of large supermassive black holes at their centers, making them ideal breeding grounds for stellar collisions.
While witnessing such a cosmic event firsthand would be ill-advised due to its immense destructive power, Levan offered a hypothetical description: “But, if you were close enough, you would see the two neutron stars get ever closer until their gravity deforms them and they begin to shred. Then the cores of the stars would merge to make a black hole, surrounded by a disc of the remaining material. A fraction of a second later, this material would flow into the black hole, and a jet of material moving at 99.99% of the speed of light would launch,” resulting in the awe-inspiring gamma-ray burst.
