The short-lived Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) have been very difficult for astronomers to catch in the act as the actual burst lasts less than two seconds and often just a few milliseconds!

Thanks to some quick-acting satellites such as NASA's Swift astronomers have been able to pin down their locations and observe their afterglow - which fades in a just a few minutes. Astronomers have noticed that the short GRBs are observed in all types of galaxies. Observational evidence seems to support the hypothesis that at least some of the short GRBs are produced by the merger of neutron stars and/or black holes.

Click on the image above to see an animation of a neutron star falling into a black hole causing a gamma-ray burst.

Long GRBs are thought to occur for a completely different reason. Click on the button to learn about long GRBs or another topic.

                       

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