gamma-ray burst

noun

gam·​ma-ray burst ˈga-mə-ˈrā- How to pronounce gamma-ray burst (audio)
variants or less commonly gamma ray burst
plural gamma-ray bursts also gamma ray bursts
: a brief, powerful jet of gamma rays detected deep in space that is generated by the collapse and explosion of a celestial object
… researchers … have discovered a gamma-ray burst (GRB) approximately 2.4 billion light-years away in the constellation Sagitta that ranks as the brightest ever observed.Space Daily
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

Examples of gamma-ray burst in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web That collision knocks off more electrons in a cascading process that creates enough energy to result in gamma-ray bursts and other types of radiation. Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 3 Oct. 2024 Those gamma-ray bursts lasting less than two seconds (about 30 percent) are deemed short bursts, usually emitting from regions with very little star formation. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 26 July 2024 That hypothesis was confirmed in 2017 when the LIGO collaboration picked up the gravitational wave signal of two neutron stars merging, accompanied by the powerful gamma-ray bursts associated with a kilonova. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 26 July 2024 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 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.

Word History

First Known Use

1973, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gamma-ray burst was in 1973

Dictionary Entries Near gamma-ray burst

Cite this Entry

“Gamma-ray burst.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gamma-ray%20burst. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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