The most powerful events in the known universe—gamma-ray bursts (GRBs)—are short-lived outbursts of the highest-energy light. They can erupt with a quintillion (a 10 followed by 18 zeros) times the ...

Researchers have completed the major construction of the Gamma-Ray Energy Tracking Array (GRETA), a next-generation nuclear detector designed to deliver the most precise measurements yet of atomic ...

"They allow us to see back to the earliest times that stars existed." When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. Scientists may be a step ...

Thunderstorms are far more radioactive than previously thought, routinely producing gamma rays—the highest-energy form of electromagnetic radiation typically associated with supernovas and other ...

When a distant galaxy briefly outshines everything around it in high-energy light, astronomers usually know which playbook to reach for. Gamma-ray bursts tend to fall into familiar categories, either ...

Light curve of the gamma-ray flare (bottom) and collection of quasi-simulated images of the M87 jet (top) at various scales obtained in radio and X-ray during the 2018 campaign. The instrument, the ...

Down here at the bottom of our ocean of air, it’s easy to get complacent about the hazards our universe presents. We feel safe from the dangers of the vacuum of space, where radiation sizzles and ...

Theoretically, if one of these gamma-ray bursts happened within 1,000 light-years of Earth, it could wipe out all life on our planet. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an ...

On December 11, 2021, a beam of gamma rays — the most energetic form of light — slammed into NASA’s Swift satellite. Within 120 seconds, the satellite had swiveled toward the blast and spotted the ...

Above the cloud tops, thunderstorms throb with a complex, frenetic light show of high-energy radiation. A view from a retrofitted spy plane soaring at 20 kilometers up revealed storms glowing and ...