FOR the first time visible and infrared emissions have been seen during the brightest stage of a gamma-ray burst. Until now, visible light had only been seen in the afterglow of a burst.
Gamma-ray bursts are the most energetic explosions in the universe and are thought to be produced when the core of a star with a mass about 35 to 50 times that of the sun collapses and forms a black hole. Astronomers think that such collapsing stars emit most of their energy in gamma and X-rays, with visible light following in the afterglow. The only time visible light…
