A cosmic explosion was observed throughout the night of August 25 by the Al Khatem Astronomical Observatory in Abu Dhabi. The observatory, situated in the desert of the UAE capital, monitored and recorded the event, which is believed to have resulted from the explosion of a massive star located more than six billion light years away.
The star, estimated to be 20 times the size of the Sun, was involved in a gamma-ray burst named GRB 240825A. Astronomers documented the event by tracking the optical afterglow that followed the explosion. The observatory was the third in the world to report its findings on this phenomenon.
According to a Khaleej Times report, the event was initially detected by NASA’s Swift and Fermi gamma-ray telescopes. Upon receiving the alert at 8:48 pm, the UAE observatory directed its telescope toward the source, where gamma rays and X-rays were being emitted. After two hours of observation, visible light showed a rapid fading of the glow, and the data collected will be analyzed by researchers in the coming weeks. The images captured illustrate changes in the brightness of the exploding star over time.
