Astronomers spot record gamma-ray burst flaring for 27 days

Gamma-ray burst GRB 220706A, detected on July 6, 2022, kept flaring in X-rays for about 27 days — 20 days longer than the previous record of six days. The nature of its central engine is unknown; researchers consider a magnetar or the collapse of a blue supergiant roughly 1,000 solar radii wide.

• GRB 220706A flared in X-rays for ~27 days vs. 6 days before
• The burst was detected on July 6, 2022
• Explaining it may require a star ~1,000 solar radii wide
• The study is posted on arXiv ahead of peer review