Einstein Probe detects puzzling cosmic explosion
 

Einstein Probe has opened a new window onto the distant X-ray Universe, promising new views of the most faraway explosions in the cosmos. Less than three months after launch, the spacecraft already discovered a puzzling blast of X-rays that could require a change the way we explain the extraordinary explosions known as gamma-ray bursts.
 

The satellite project, led by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), features major contributions from the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE), based on the design of the eROSITA telescope, giving a new lease of life to the X-ray imaging technology developed at MPE.

On 15 March 2024, Einstein Probe’s Wide-field X-ray Telescope detected a burst of low-energy X-rays. Astronomers call such X-rays ‘soft’ even though they are still far more energetic than visible or ultraviolet light. The burst lasted for more than 17 minutes and fluctuated in brightness before fading away again.

Follow-up observations confirmed that the burst had come from around 12.5 billion light-years away, beginning its cosmic journey to us when the Universe was just 10 percent its current age. This meant that the burst was the first time astronomers had detected soft X-rays for such a long duration from such an ancient explosion.

Observations at other wavelengths revealed that although the energy output was consistent with a typical gamma-ray burst (GRB), its emission in X-rays lasted much longer than usual. This means that the current models for gamma-ray bursts might have to be adjusted.

For more information, see the ESA Press Release here.