Dying Stars May Cause Sudden, Bright Blasts that Confound Scientists

Extremely fast cosmic explosions puzzling scientists may be outbursts arising from dying stars, new research suggests

fast blue optical transients (FBOTs)  because of their "blue" heat and very rapid evolution, only a handful of these outbursts have been recorded

A new model suggests the bursts happen amid the chaotic environment of a dying star which shoot out powerful jets smashing into layers of gas sloughing off the star as its fusion slows down

FBOTs are most visible in optical wavelengths and change within a matter of days. They get bright rapidly, then fade away, much faster than a supernova star explosion typically does

FBOTs are also visible in radio and X-ray waves, which also appear to have an explanation in the model

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