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AUDIO:
One model is a hyper-nova. At the end of it's life cycle, a massive
star rapidly burns up it's fuel and falls into itself. The death
scream of the falling star is the birth cry of the black hole. The
result is a spectacular blast of gamma rays. Massive stars live
short and brilliant lives, so they don't have time to move very far
from their birth places. Scientists believe hyper-nova births will
be found close to star forming regions, in the company of many other
bright young stars.
A second gamma-ray burst model involves two neutron stars locked in
tight orbit around each other. They slowly spiral inward, until,
in a brief violent episode, they merge to form a black hole. In the
billion years it takes for their orbit to decay, the pair of neutron
stars can wander far from the original galaxy. If these produce the
gamma-ray event, they will be found in deep, intergalactic space.
VIDEO:
Video shows a massive stars imploading after burning up fuel, becoming
a black hole with a burst of gamma rays. Second model shows artist
concept of two neutron stars orbiting each other, then merging to become
a black hole.
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