Scientists have been able to record for the first time the formation of heavy metals after a neutron star merger, including gold
a The collision of two neutron stars, The event known as kilonovaScientists were left scratching their heads over the creation of heavy metals such as silver, iron and even gold.
Using the James Webb Space Telescope and the Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers were able to observe Details not published Elements formed in the explosion. This discovery paves the way for a better understanding of powerful neutron star mergers.
“It has been exciting to study kilonovas as never before with the powerful eyes of Hubble and James Webb,” he said. Eleonora Truja, A member of the research and astrophysics team at the University of Rome told Space.com.
“This is the first time that we have been able to verify that metals heavier than iron and silver were recently produced before us.”
A unique discovery
although gamma ray bursts (GRBs), The most active star in the universe, which was already associated with neutron star mergers, highlights this discovery. Long gamma-ray bursts are thought to result from the collapse of massive stars, while neutron star mergers only generate short gamma-ray bursts.
The extremely bright and long burst, called GRB 230307A, which was detected by instruments on NASA's Fermi mission in March 2023, continued. 200 seconds. This makes it the second most active GRB ever observed, according to CNN Brasil.
Future research using telescopes like James Webb's is sure to bring back more details about these massive cosmic events.
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