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[Music throughout]

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Looking for a new vacation spot?

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[Facetiously] I've heard that gamma-ray bursts are beautiful this time of year.

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No...oh, no, no, no, no, I was just..., no

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No, they're far too dangerous!  With deadly gamma radiation?

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[Audible sigh] So you're really going to go?

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Then you need to know a few things first.

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A gamma-ray burst is a ... giant ... burst ... of ... gamma rays,

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the highest-energy form of light

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They mostly come from either two neutron stars crashing together ...

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... or a massive star collapsing in on itself.

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Both likely form black holes that blast out a pair of cones of superfast, superhot material.

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These jets emit the gamma rays that give gamma-ray bursts their name.

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If you're in the path of that cone — even very, very far away — you see a gamma-ray burst!

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Not in the cone?

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No gamma-ray burst.

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But the show isn't over yet!

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As that cone rams into the stuff around it,

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 there's another display across the whole range of light,

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from radio waves to gamma rays

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Well, and there's other possible light shows too ...

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the supernova from the collapsing star, or a kilonova from the merger ...

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but you get the idea, it's a brilliant display.

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Now, gamma-ray bursts may be the brightest show in town,

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but knowing when and where to look can be tricky.

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Over at Earth, 

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er, also known as Glerbax-29 d ...

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depending on where you're from ...

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gamma-ray detectors monitor the whole sky to find these unpredictable events.

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But if you want to visit one, you'll need to find it BEFORE that blast of gamma rays.

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First you need to decide which type you want to see.

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The initial burst from the crashing stars lasts just a couple seconds or less,

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while the collapsing star can have a burst lasting minutes.

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But timing your visit to the collapsing star might be a problem,

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unless you're willing to wait,

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a long time, 

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like reallllly long.

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We know of quite a few stars that collapse ... "soon,"

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but that could mean a day, a year, a million years or more!

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Predicting when the stars will crash is a bit easier if you're willing to do a little homework.

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Just find a close pair of orbiting neutron stars,

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watch them for a few orbits, add some math, and you can predict when they'll crash.

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Now, before you run off, make sure you have what you need to keep yourself from 

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from getting blasted by those gamma rays.

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Earth, er, Glerbax-29 d, 

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has an atmosphere that shields the planet, and its inhabitants, from gamma rays.

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And you'll need to be able to detect light in all its forms if you want to see the full show

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Of course, all of this doesn't account for the fact that 

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gamma-ray bursts don't happen nearby — 

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the closest so far was over 100 million light years away,

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and most are billions, 

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so you'll need to find a galaxy where this is more likely. 

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But it looks like you've worked all of that out.

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So, keep in mind these tips and tricks,

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and go enjoy the universe's most spectacular fireworks display.

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[Sighs]