Research
What is fueling the brightest gamma-ray star pair ever found?
Earth.com · By Eric Ralls ·
The Brief
- A pair of stars in a small galaxy next to the Milky Way emits more gamma rays than any other pair of its kind.
- Gamma rays carry more energy than any other form of light.
- Astronomers have struggled to explain where the pair's gamma rays come from.
Why it matters
The pair is an extreme case of gamma-ray emission from a star system, so explaining it could sharpen models of how high-energy radiation is produced in binary stars.
Who’s affected
- astronomers
- high-energy astrophysicists
- #gamma-rays
- #binary-stars
- #astrophysics
- #small-galaxy
One pair of stars in a small galaxy next to the Milky Way gives off more gamma rays than any other pair of its kind. Gamma rays carry more energy than any other form of light, and astronomers have struggled to explain where this pair’s gamma rays come from. In the cold gas near…