Gamma-ray burst sets record with engine active for nearly a month

Astronomers recorded the longest central engine activity ever seen from a gamma-ray burst, lasting about 27 days in the burst's rest frame—roughly 20 days longer than the previous record. The burst occurred at a redshift of 0.8577, and the paper was posted to arXiv on Sept. 18.

• Engine activity lasted about 27 days in the burst's rest frame
• That is roughly 20 days longer than the previous record
• The burst occurred at a redshift of 0.8577
• The paper on possible powering mechanisms was posted to arXiv on Sept. 18