gamma-ray burst
noun
gam·ma-ray burst
ˈga-mə-ˈrā- 
variants
or less commonly gamma ray burst
: a brief, powerful jet of gamma rays detected deep in space that is generated by the collapse and explosion of a celestial object
Eventually, though, the neutron star slows down, probably because of magnetic braking. Then it implodes, touching off a gamma ray burst.—
Govert Schilling
—abbreviation GRB
Govert SchillingExamples of gamma-ray burst in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Up in the turret, Phaedra slips off her hood and stares at her before unleashing the kind of gamma-ray burst usually unheard of outside of collapsing stars and the most contentious of middle-school sleepovers.
—Molly Fitzpatrick, Vulture, 19 Jan. 2024
The situation resembles an earlier mystery surrounding another class of cosmic explosions: gamma-ray bursts, which were shown in the 1990s to arise from three separate types of events.
—Adam Mann, Scientific American, 22 Nov. 2021
On the other hand, short gamma-ray bursts have pulses shorter than two seconds.
—Amy Lien, Discover Magazine, 19 Apr. 2024
To produce such a catastrophic energy projectile, an equally powerful explosion is in order, which is where gamma-ray bursts come from.
—Max Bennett, Discover Magazine, 18 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for gamma-ray burst 
Molly Fitzpatrick, Vulture, 19 Jan. 2024
The situation resembles an earlier mystery surrounding another class of cosmic explosions: gamma-ray bursts, which were shown in the 1990s to arise from three separate types of events.
—Adam Mann, Scientific American, 22 Nov. 2021
On the other hand, short gamma-ray bursts have pulses shorter than two seconds.
—Amy Lien, Discover Magazine, 19 Apr. 2024
To produce such a catastrophic energy projectile, an equally powerful explosion is in order, which is where gamma-ray bursts come from.
—Max Bennett, Discover Magazine, 18 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for gamma-ray burst
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gamma-ray burst.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Gamma-ray burst.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gamma-ray%20burst. Accessed 26 Jul. 2024.
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