Illustration of a gamma-ray burst as two neutron stars begin to merge

Illustration of a gamma-ray burst (GRB) from the merger of two neutron stars. GRBs are high energy explosions that can either be long burst, lasting two seconds or more, or short burst, lasting less than two seconds. It was previously thought that long burst GRBs resulted from the collapse of massive stars, while short burst GRBs resulted from the merger of two dense objects, such as neutron stars. The first long burst GRB that resulted from the merger of two neutron stars (GRB 211211A) was observed on the 11th December 2021. Heavy elements such as gold and platinum are formed from the merger of neutron stars. Previous estimates of the amounts of these heavy elements in the universe were calculated using the numbers of only short burst GRBs, but due to this discovery long burst GRBs will also need to be factored in., by NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center/A. Simonnet (Sonoma State Univ.)/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY