Don't you just love it when new knowledge throws kinks into what was thought to be set in stone...Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) come in two varieties, long and short. Long GRBs, which last a couple of seconds to one minute, form when a star at least 10 times the mass of our Sun explodes as a supernova. Short GRBs, which last less than two seconds, occur when two compact objects, like two neutron stars or a neutron star and a black hole, collide to form a kilonova. While observing the aftermath of GRB 211211A, a long GRB event detected in 2021, two independent teams of astronomers found the surprising signs of a neutron-star merger rather than the expected signal of a supernova. This surprising result marks the first time that a kilonova has been associated with a long GRB and challenges the current understanding of these powerful explosions.
Ok, enough for one day, though I will continue reading these sites. Definitely better news than what I've been reading lately....