31/01/2024
Extraordinary new space phenomenon mystifies scientists
Astrophysicists at the University of Oxford have helped to discover a spectacularly bright and unusual explosion in a galaxy 4.4 billion light-years away. The findings have been published in the journal Nature.
It is a remarkable and unexpected discovery, but the fact that the flares were detected by a number of instruments proves it is a real, astrophysical phenomenon. The fast variability of the flares indicates that an object of small size is producing them, probably a black hole. We hope more theoretical work will enable us to understand this emission better.
Professor Stephen Smartt, Department of Physics, University of Oxford.
It is a remarkable and unexpected discovery, but the fact that the flares were detected by a number of instruments proves it is a real, astrophysical phenomenon. The fast variability of the flares indicates that an object of small size is producing them, probably a black hole. We hope more theoretical work will enable us to understand this emission better.
Professor Stephen Smartt, Department of Physics, University of Oxford.
