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In August 2016, astronomers spotted a very bright explosion in the sky, which faded about 10 days later and could not determine what it was all about.
Today, scientists have identified this glow as a collision between two neutron stars, forming what is called "Kelonova", a type of massive explosion that shakes the tissue of the body. space – time in space, producing gravitational waves, gold, platinum and uranium in the universe.
The event, known as GRB160821B, was originally thought to act as a gamma surge, which is a very active and relatively common explosion in the universe.
"The 2016 event was very exciting at first," said Eleonora Truja, an associate researcher at the University of Maryland. "This has happened close and visible from all major telescopes, including NASA's Hubble Space Telescope." "But the explosion does not match our expectations.We find that the infrared emission becomes brighter and brighter for several weeks, but ten days after the event, there was no sign left. We were very disappointed. "
nasa / ESA, E. Troja
A year later, scientists did not realize that this event was more exciting than they thought. In August 2017, they witnessed a direct collision between two neutron stars. This exciting moment was discovered by dozens of observatories using gravitational waves, X-rays, gamma rays, and light waves. The radio.
With a lot of new data, Truja said: "We looked at the old data with a new eye and realized that we had acquired Kelonova in 2016."
These observations provided the first evidence that Kelonova produced large quantities of heavy metals, a discovery long predicted by an ancient theory, which suggested that all gold and platinum on Earth resulted from such explosions, which occurred when neutron star collisions.
Astronomers from the LEGO gravitational wave observatory received tangible evidence of this fusion when they discovered gravitational waves outside the accident site for the first time in the world. 2017.
In the new study, the international team of scientists compared a data set of the merger of 2017 with more complete observations of a similar event in 2016. Given the old explosion at each wavelength of available light (x-rays, radio and optics)), the team found it almost identical to the 2017 crash.
"The infrared data for both events reveal that they have a similar brightness at exactly the same time," Truja said. "The explosion of 2016 was already a huge fusion, probably between two neutron stars, just like the 2017 LEGO observatory," she said.
"The remnants of the blast could be a very magnetic neutron star, which survived the collision and collapsed into a black hole," said Jeffrey Ryan, co-author of the event. study.
He added, "It's interesting because theories suggest that magnetism should slow down or even stop the production of heavy metals, which are the ultimate source of Kelonova's infrared signature." Our analysis suggests that heavy metals are able to to escape the effect of deleting the object remaining. "
"With our better understanding of what kelonova looks like, more observations can help solve many cosmic secrets."
Source: life sciences
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