NASA's James Webb Space Telescope recently captured a rare and massive energetic explosion called a Kilonova, which occurs when two of the massive, densest objects (either neutron stars or neutron star & black hole) collide. This event produced some of the rarest metals in the universe, such as gold and platinum. The telescope traced the second-brightest gamma-ray burst ever seen to a Kilonova, providing astronomers with a better understanding of how these explosions occur and what happens during the explosion.
Dubbed as GRB 230307A, this Gamma Ray Burst is the second brightest ever recorded, lasted only for 34 seconds. It was detected by many telescopes at the same time, allowing researchers to pinpoint its origin. During the observations, the JWST detected a transition from a blue hue to a red hue, which serves as a distinctive indication of a Kilonova explosion.
Using the powerful vision of MIRI & NIRCam aboard the telescope, the team spotted several galaxies around the Kilonova. The galaxy identified as the brightest, and thus the most probable location of this explosion, is situated approximately 8.3 million light-years away from Earth.
