The phenomenon only lasted 12 seconds, yet it caused the brightness of the EP240408a object to increase 300-fold.
China has once again proven how important the Einstein Observatory is when it comes to understanding the universe. The space telescope recently utilized its X-ray sensors to capture a brief but extremely intense flash. This unprecedented transient phenomenon may indicate that a distant object is experiencing energetic processes that astronomers don’t yet fully understand.
An unprecedented flash. On April 8, while conducting calibration observations, the advanced Einstein Probe at China’s National Space Science Center recorded a distant object emitting an incredibly intense X-ray flash.
Although the flash lasted only 12 seconds, it resulted in a remarkable 300-fold increase in the brightness of the object, designated EP240408a. The intense X-ray flux evidences the extraordinary energy released during this brief event.
It suddenly vanished. After the initial flash, the object exhibited relatively stable X-ray emissions for four days. However, this was followed by a rapid decline in intensity until it became undetectable ten days later.
It’s particularly intriguing that astronomers didn’t observe similar emissions in the visible and near-infrared wavelengths despite beginning their tracking efforts just 17 hours after the initial outburst.
What actually happened? Spectral analysis of EP240408a has shown that the X-ray emission can’t be of thermal origin. Astronomers conclude that it may represent a new type of transient event, an astronomical phenomenon characterized by rapid and extreme physical processes observed in the universe.
China has showcased the sensitivity of the Einstein Observatory, launched in January 2024. To date, it has identified more than 60 transient events, including white dwarfs, neutron stars, black holes, supernovae, and gamma-ray bursts. Notably, the telescope detected the EP240315a X-ray burst from an astonishing distance of 25.6 billion light-years away.
Image | Chinese Academy of Sciences
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