Two New Beasts for an #Explosive #Zoo

Issued by Sky and Telescope

And that makes three: Astronomers are beginning to understand what may be causing a special kind of flare in the distant universe.







And you thought gamma-ray bursts were spectacular!




Well, they are: Those titanic stellar explosions vastly outshine complete galaxies and shoot out tenuous jets at near-light speed. But a new class of objects, known as Fast Blue Optical Transients (FBOTs) for their rapid flares and blue-hot color, compare to gamma-ray bursts as dinosaurs compare to jaguars. The jets they produce are slower, shooting out at about half the speed of light. But they can also be 10,000 times more massive, carrying up to 10% of the Sun’s mass.

https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/two-new-beasts-explosive-zoo/