Rare star system could produce gamma ray explosion

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Representational Image
Representational Image

New Delhi : Astronomers have identified a "nearby" star system which carries the potential to produce gamma-ray explosion and this would possibly be the most energetic events in the universe. As per the research published, scientists revealed they have located the first of this rare star system in our galaxy, just 8,000 light years from earth, Xinhua news agency reported.

Experts say that a gamma-ray burst from a star like this has the capacity to strip the earth of its Ozone layer.

"We knew immediately that we have found something quite exceptional, the luminosity across the spectrum from the radio to the infrared was off the charts," lead author Joe Callingham from the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy said.

The rare star system has been named as Apep, of which two stars are of the Wolf-Rayet variety meaning they are massive and reaching the end of their life. These stars could explode into supernovae at any time, and could result in a cataclysmic gamma-ray event combining with the system's extreme conditions.

"The rapid rotation puts Apep into a whole new class," co-author Benjamin Pope from New York University said.

"Normal supernovae are already extreme events but adding rotation to the mix can really throw gasoline on the fire," Benjamin said.