Seven-Hour Gamma-Ray Burst Prompts New Jet-Engine Theory
Astronomers recorded GRB 250702B, the longest gamma-ray burst on record, lasting about seven hours. By combining data from five high-energy telescopes, they suggest a helium-star–black-hole merger produced an unusually long jet, a departure from standard GRB progenitors. The finding highlights that GRB engines can be more diverse, and upcoming missions like the COSI telescope aim to detect more such extreme bursts to unravel the underlying physics.
