Unusually long gamma‑ray burst hints new cosmic catastrophe
Astronomers report an unprecedented long‑duration gamma‑ray burst, GRB 250702B, first seen by NASA’s Fermi telescope on 2 July and emitting gamma rays for roughly seven hours. Multiwavelength follow‑up with Hubble, JWST and the European Very Large Telescope located a distant host galaxy and recorded a pulsed signal; researchers have posted multiple preprints and are proposing exotic origins, including a black hole repeatedly stripping material from a star or other novel central‑engine scenarios.
Science
Space
📌 Key Facts
- GRB designation: GRB 250702B; first detected by NASA’s Fermi Gamma‑ray Space Telescope on 2 July.
- Duration: gamma‑ray emission continued for about 7 hours, far longer than typical GRBs (seconds–minutes).
- Follow‑up: infrared afterglow identified by VLT and Hubble; JWST estimated the source is billions of light‑years away; several preprints describing multiwavelength observations were posted online last week.