Skip Navigation
menu close modal
Resources

Long Gamma-Ray Burst From a Collapsing Star

At the center of a series of nested blue circles is a black dot representing a black hole. A pair of cone-shaped, white jets emerge from either side of the black hole, tilted 45 degrees from vertical. The outermost blue circle has layered scalloped edges.
Credit: NASA
Published: January 9, 2023

An illustration of a long gamma-ray burst caused by a collapsing star. The colors depicted in this illustration are for artistic purposes only.

ENLARGE

Explore the Universe

Related

An illustration of NASA's GALEX spacecraft.
More
GALEX is illustrated in multiple shades of blue. The spacecraft body is made up of a hexagonal object topped by a cylindrical object. Solar panels extend to either side.
GALEX (Galaxy Evolution Explorer)
An illustration of a purple star-forming nebula.
More
A large, amorphous blob in a circular shape has layers of transparent, hazy color overlapping. The different layers start with a slight blue and dark purple around the outer rim and move inward to brighter purples. While white dots representing stars speckle the whole image, in the upper left part of this shape is a bright white circular cloud with more pronounced and larger stars grouped together.
Star-forming Nebula (Version Two, Purple)
An illustration of NASA's IXPE observatory.
More
The IXPE observatory is illustrated in shades of blue. The full shape of IXPE is horizontal, with a three-leaf-clover shaped base with small cylinders on each "leaf" of the base. Stemming outward is a long cylindrical body that comes to a larger, open head with a series of thin panels on top.
IXPE (Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer)
An illustration of a planetary nebula.An illustration of a planetary nebula. The colors depicted in this illustration are for artistic purposes only.
More
A transparent, colorful hourglass shape has a central point that is a white circle surrounded by bright, light haze. Extending out from the center in opposite directions are plumes of color that form the hourglass shape. Each starts as blue near the central circle, then fades into a purplish pink color. The outline of the hourglass shape is wavy and white dots representing stars speckle the image.
Planetary Nebula (Version Two, Pink)
An illustration of the EXCLAIM instrument.
More
An illustration in multiple shades of blue depicting EXCLAIM. The instrument is made up of a hollow cylindrical object next to a rectangular object. The whole instrument sits within a framework that extends upwards to a point, where it will attach to a balloon.
EXCLAIM (Experiment for Cryogenic Large-Aperture Intensity Mapping)
An illustration of a blazar, or an active galactic nucleus that emits a powerful radiation jet. 
More
A graphic shows a diffused, dark purple ring that fades inward to a bright purple, a lighter purple, and eventually to a light blue gradient. At the center of the circular object is a small black circle from which a transparent beam is emitted, starting as a transparent blue and moving into green, yellow, orange and red.
Blazar
An illustration of a purple spiral galaxy.
More
A hazy range of purples makes up the base of this swirling spiral of light blue lines twirling inward toward a yellow cloud with a white spot in the center. White dots representing stars speckle the image.
Spiral Galaxy (Purple)
An illustration showing a purple, front view of a barred spiral galaxy.
More
A background of medium, bright purple shows a bright, white, thin line that creates an oblong, elongated swirl that connects in the middle with a yellowish, diffuse cloud. White dots representing stars speckle the image.
Barred Spiral Galaxy (Front View, Purple)
An illustration of a planetary nebula.
More
A subtly transparent, colorful hourglass shape has a central point that is a white circle surrounded by bright, white haze. Extending outward from the center in opposite directions are plums of color that form the hourglass shape. The central part of each plume starts as an icy, light blue and fades upward into a purple color and outward into red. White dots representing stars speckle the image.
Planetary Nebula (Version Two, Purple)
An illustration of NASA's TESS spacecraft.
More
This illustration of NASA's TESS shows the spacecraft in shades of blue. The multi-sided, cylindrical shaped main body of the satellite has two solar array "wings," each extending out from the sides of the satellite which is attached to an open, cone shaped bottom piece. Nestled inside the cone are four squares which show the relative positions of TESS’s cameras.
TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite)
An illustration of ESA's LISA Pathfinder spacecraft.
More
This illustration shows ESA's LISA Pathfinder spacecraft in shades of blue. The craft has an octagonal shape with a relatively flat "face" with smaller components found around the sides of the spacecraft.
LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) Pathfinder
An illustration of a blue star-forming nebula.
More
A large, amorphous blob in a circular shape has layers of transparent, hazy color overlapping. The different layers are a range of transparent blues, some greener shades than others. While white dots representing stars speckle the whole image, in the upper left part of this shape is a bright white circular cloud with more pronounced and larger stars grouped together.
Star-forming Nebula (Version Two, Blue)
An illustration of a planetary nebula.
More
In the background is a hazy pink and purple circle, with dark, transparent dark purple around the edge and lighter/brighter pinks leading inward. In front of the big circle is a purple object, shaped like a minimal, twisty lemon. Inside of this shape is a central, light yellow, cloudy circle with a bright white spot in the middle. All within the lemon-shaped object, the white spot is surrounded by a pink oblong oval shape which is overlapped by two large, pink circular shapes and two small, pink circular shapes. White dots representing stars speckle the image.
Planetary Nebula (Version One, Pink)
An illustration of ESA's Planck spacecraft.
More
This illustration shows ESA's Planck spacecraft in shades of blue. The craft has a circular base topped by a short instrument with an open top and instrument pieces visible inside.
Planck
An illustration of one of NASA's OAO spacecraft.
More
This illustration shows one of NASA's OAO spacecraft in shades of blue. The body of the satellite is an octagon. The telescope opening is embedded at the top of the octagon, which also has a flap that is open. Two-layered solar panels are attached on both sides. Antennae extend from the top and bottom.
OAO (Orbiting Astronomical Observatory)
An illustration of an orange and yellow elliptical galaxy.
More
A diffuse oval is outlined by a light orange-ish yellow but gets progressively lighter in rings towards the center, a bright white spot surrounded by a small ring of white haze. White dots representing stars speckle the image.
Elliptical Galaxy (Orange/Yellow)
An illustration of NASA’s CGRO spacecraft.
More
A graphic of CGRO is shown in light and dark shades of blue. The body of the spacecraft is rectangular, topped with two circular objects. Solar panels extend to either side, and a long pole with a small satellite dish at the end extends from the front end of the spacecraft.
CGRO (Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory)
An illustration of JAXA’s XRISM spacecraft.
More
This illustration shows NASA's XRISM spacecraft in shades of blue. A multi-sided cylindrical body has solar array "wings" on either side and a smaller, rounded cylindrical front with small pieces of the instrument at the very front.
XRISM (X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission)
An illustration showing an irregular galaxy.
More
An amorphous, bean-shaped diffuse purple blob that's darker around the rim with a light, whitish center. White dots representing stars speckle the image.
Irregular Galaxy (Version Three)
An illustration of NASA’s BurstCube spacecraft.
More
A graphic of BurstCube is shown in light and dark shades of blue. The satellite’s body is rectangular, with the long side facing the viewer. Solar panels are attached to the short, left-hand side.
BurstCube
An illustration of JAXA's Suzaku spacecraft.
More
This illustration shows the Suzaku spacecraft in shades of blue. The long body of the spacecraft is narrower at the top than at the bottom, which has a hollow area underneath. Solar panels extend to either side of the widest part of the body. Round circles representing the telescopes extend from the top of the narrowest part of the body.
Suzaku
An illustration of the HaloSat spacecraft.
More
This HaloSat illustration shows the space telescope in shades of blue. The body of the spacecraft is a rectangle with three circles along the long, narrow side. One solar panel extends from the spacecraft body.
HaloSat
An illustration of a short gamma-ray burst caused by merging neutron stars.
More
At the center of this graphic of a short gamma-ray burst is a black dot representing a black hole. A cloud of debris, represented as a yellow-ish filled-in figure eight is centered on the black hole and tilted 45 degrees to the right. A pair of white-ish, cone-shaped jets are aligned with the figure eight and extend above and below the black holes. Additional debris is represented as a blue oval and a filled-in eternity symbol, both centered on the black hole and tilted 45 degrees to the left.
Short Gamma-Ray Burst From Merging Neutron Stars
An illustration of NASA's ASTHROS spacecraft.
More
A graphic of ASTHROS is shown in light and dark shades of blue and has a main cage-like body with large, rectangular panels stemming from its sides, small square panels on its lower half, and a thin structure protruding from the top. (This structure will attach to a large balloon). A telescope protrudes from the back of the structure.
ASTHROS (Astrophysics Stratospheric Telescope for High Spectral Resolution)
An illustration of NASA's Hubble spacecraft.
More
This Hubble illustration shows the space telescope in shades of blue. A main cylindrical body has an opening with a flap at the top. The spacecraft's main body connects to two sets of two panels jutting out from either side horizontally and two circular objects attached vertically.
Hubble Space Telescope

Explore the Universe

Universe News

NGC 3156 is a lenticular galaxy, with two visible threads of dark reddish-brown dust crossing the galaxy’s disk.
More
Hubble Spots a Dreamy Galaxy
Hubble Spots a Dreamy Galaxy
This image of HH 211 from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope reveals an outflow from a Class 0 protostar.
More
NASA's Webb Snaps Supersonic Outflow of Young Star
NASA's Webb Snaps Supersonic Outflow of Young Star
A new collection of stunning images highlights data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and other telescopes.
More
A Fab Five: New Images with NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory
A Fab Five: New Images with NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory
Called the Wide Field Instrument, this tool will enable astronomers to explore the cosmos
More
Primary Instrument for NASA's Roman Completed, Begins Tests
Primary Instrument for NASA's Roman Completed, Begins Tests
While K2-18 b lies in the habitable zone this does not necessarily mean that the planet can support life.
More
Webb Discovers Methane, Carbon Dioxide in Atmosphere of K2-18 b
Webb Discovers Methane, Carbon Dioxide in Atmosphere of K2-18 b
The swirls of the galaxy IC 1776 stand in splendid isolation in this image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope.
More
Hubble Images a Swirling Supernova Site
Hubble Images a Swirling Supernova Site
When a star strays too close to a black hole, gravitational forces create tides that break the star apart into a stream of gas.
More
NASA's Swift Learns a New Trick, Spots a Snacking Black Hole
NASA's Swift Learns a New Trick, Spots a Snacking Black Hole
The Aero Club of Southern California has awarded the Howard Hughes Memorial Award to NASA's James Webb Space Telescope.
More
NASA's Webb Wins Howard Hughes Memorial Award
NASA's Webb Wins Howard Hughes Memorial Award
This huge ball of stars – around 100 billion in total – is an elliptical galaxy located some 55 million light-years away.
More
Hubble Views a Sphere of Stars
Hubble Views a Sphere of Stars
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has begun the study of one of the most renowned supernovae, SN 1987A.
More
Webb Reveals New Structures Within Iconic Supernova
Webb Reveals New Structures Within Iconic Supernova
A powerful satellite called XRISM is set to provide astronomers with a revolutionary look at the X-ray sky.
More
JAXA, NASA XRISM Mission Ready for Liftoff
JAXA, NASA XRISM Mission Ready for Liftoff
This galaxy in the constellation Eridanus is a ghostly assemblage of stars which resembles a sparkling cloud.
More
Hubble Sees a Sparkling Neighbor Galaxy
Hubble Sees a Sparkling Neighbor Galaxy