When stars reach the end of their lifespan, many undergo gravitational collapse and explode into a supernova, In some cases, they collapse to become black holes and release a tremendous amount of energy in a short amount of time. These are what is known as gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), and they are one of the most powerful events in the known Universe.
Recently, an international team of astronomers was able to capture an image of a newly-discovered triple star system surrounded by a “pinwheel” of dust. This system, nicknamed “Apep”, is located roughly 8,000 light years from Earth and destined to become a long-duration GRB. In addition, it is the first of its kind to be discovered in our galaxy.
The study which describes the team’s findings was recently published in the scientific journal Nature. The team was led by Joseph R. Callingham, a postdoctoral fellow from the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON), and included members from the Sydney Institute for Astronomy (SIfA), the Royal Observatory Edinburgh, the University of Sheffield and the University of New South Wales.
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