2025-09-27
Mysterious cosmic explosion can't be explained, scientists say
Researchers have detected a gamma-ray burst outside of the Milky Way that's unlike any previously observed. There's no satisfying explanation for the mysterious cosmic explosion, but it may be linked to elusive intermediate-mass black holes. Astronomers are scratching their heads after detecting a bizarre, long-lasting cosmic explosion unlike anything previously observed. The explosion was a series of repeated outbursts of high-energy radiation, known as a gamma-ray burst. These bursts, the most powerful known explosions in the universe, typically only last for milliseconds to minutes, yet this one was observed erupting for nearly an entire day in July. Scientists can't explain the record-shattering duration of the event, which occurred outside of the Milky Way and is officially named GRB 250702BDE, according to a study published Aug. 29 in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. Gamma-ray bursts are usually caused by the death of a giant star, but they're typically singular events. This one is unlike any other in 50 years of gamma-ray burst (GRB) observations, according to study co-lead author Antonio Martin-Carrillo, an astrophysicist at University College Dublin. https://www.livescience.com/space/astronomy/mysterious-cosmic-explosion-cant-be-explained-scientists-say
