A UAE astronomy center recorded a significant cosmic event during the night of August 25 in Abu Dhabi. The Al Khatem Astronomical Observatory, situated in the capital's desert, tracked and recorded the phenomenon, which was likely triggered by the explosion of a massive star in a galaxy over six billion light years distant. According to the Astronomy Center, this star is twenty times the size of the Sun. The event was designated GRB 240825A. Astronomers managed to document the process by observing the optical afterglow that ensued the explosion. The observatory ranked third globally in publishing the findings of this phenomenon.
Initially detected by NASA’s Swift and Fermi gamma-ray telescopes, the UAE observatory, upon receiving the alert at 8.48pm, directed their telescope towards the source emitting gamma rays and X-rays. Following two hours of observation, a visible light indicated a swift decline in the glow. The captured data will be analyzed by researchers over the next few weeks. The image illustrates the variation in the brightness of the exploding star over time. A second image displays the exploding star as captured by the observatory.
