The International Gamma-ray Astrophysics Laboratory (INTEGRAL), a space-science mission led by the European Space Agency, launched successfully on October 17, 2002, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in ...

(THE CONVERSATION) Billions of light years away in a remote part of the universe, two neutron stars – the ultradense remnants of dead stars – collided. The catastropic cosmic event sent light and ...

Researchers have known for several decades that thunderstorms can act as miniature particle accelerators that produce antimatter, gamma rays and other nuclear phenomena. But they did not know how ...

Thunderstorms in the tropics are literally radioactive, according to a team of researchers that recently used a retrofitted spy plane to survey the phenomena. The team’s research was published in two ...

Thunderstorms are far more radioactive than previously thought, routinely producing gamma rays—the highest-energy form of electromagnetic radiation typically associated with supernovas and other ...

In October 2022, several space-based detectors picked up a powerful gamma-ray burst so energetic that astronomers nicknamed it the BOAT (Brightest Of All Time). Now they’ve confirmed that the GRB came ...

The element radium can be found in extremely tiny amounts in the Earth’s crust and oceans, and in its pure form it is a soft silvery metal. To an untrained eye, a small piece of radium may look like a ...

Astronomers have determined what caused the brightest cosmic explosion ever recorded. Lasting a matter of minutes, the gamma-ray burst, named GRB 221009A, was observed by astronomers in October 2022.

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Thunderstorms create a lot of wind, rain, and lightning, but many ...

Gamma-ray spectroscopy is a pivotal technique in nuclear science, industry and astrophysics, enabling the precise determination of gamma-ray energies emitted from radioactive sources. Recent advances ...

Researchers grew crystals containing actinium and illuminated them with X-rays to learn how the radioactive metal binds with other elements. That information could help design better cancer treatments ...

NASA sent a retired Cold War spy plane on a storm-chasing mission, and it discovered that big thunderstorms are very radioactive. Large thunderstorms produce so much gamma radiation that the clouds ...