Fact Sheet
Birth Throes
This artist's concept captures the possible birth of a black hole. As a massive star explodes, its outer layers blast into space at high speed, while its core collapses to form a black hole. Bright "jets" of particles squirt into space from the poles of the newborn black hole. An orbiting NASA telescope has discovered that these outbursts may involve a series of big explosions, not just one. Each of them is accompanied by an outburst of gamma rays, the most powerful form of energy. [NASA/GSFC/Dana Berry]
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