FSNews365 The Next Generation of News

Record-Breaking Gamma-Ray Burst Lasts Seven Hours, Challenging Astronomers Understanding of Cosmic Explosions Among the universe's most powerful phenomena are gamma-ray bursts — cosmic explosions capable of releasing, in a split second, more energy than the Sun will emit over its entire ten-billion-year existence. Normally, these intense flashes disappear almost immediately, lasting seconds or at most, a few minutes. However, on 2 July 2025 , astronomers detected an event that defied every expectation. Instead of ending quickly, the signal persisted for seven hours , produced three distinct bursts throughout a single day and left behind a glowing aftereffect that continued for months. The moment it was observed, scientists recognized that this was no ordinary gamma-ray burst . Explore more space science discoveries: SETI Study Reveals Space Weather Could Be Hiding Alien Signals From Earth GRB 250702B — The Longest Gamma-Ray Burst Ever Observed The phenomenon, designated GRB 250702...

Wolf-Rayet 104's Pinwheel Star: A Cosmic Mystery Unraveled Introduction New research suggests that the enigmatic Wolf-Rayet 104 "pinwheel star" is more complex than previously believed, yet even less likely to be the catastrophic "death star" once theorized. WR 104: A Binary System with a Rotating Dust Pinwheel A study led by W. M. Keck Observatory Instrument Scientist Grant Hill has confirmed a long-held hypothesis: WR 104 consists of a binary system of massive stars orbiting each other every eight months. Their intense stellar winds collide, forming a rotating dust pinwheel that radiates in the infrared and shares the system's orbital period. Discovery of WR 104's Pinwheel Structure First identified at Keck Observatory in 1999, WR 104's pinwheel structure captivated astronomers with its striking imagery. The system comprises: A Wold-Rayet star an evolved, massive star emitting carbon-enriched winds. A more massive but less evolved OB star, whose wi...