Nuclear explosion that lasted three hours: Indian satellite detects mega burst
The UR Rao Satellite Centre has announced a new discovery by the XSPECT instrument aboard India's XPoSat satellite.On March 19, 2025, XSPECT detected a rare thermonuclear 'burst' followed shortly by a much longer and more powerful event called a 'superburst' from a neutron star system named 4U 160852, located about 4,000 light-years from Earth.Neutron stars are incredibly dense remnants of massive stars that exploded as supernovae.advertisement
They are only about 10 to 20 kilometers wide but weigh more than our Sun. In some cases, these neutron stars exist in binary systems, where they pull gas from a nearby companion star.
Schematic representation of a Neutron star low-mass X-ray binary system during persistent emission from steady accretion. (Photo: URSC)
This gas builds up on the neutron star's surface and heats up to millions of degrees, emitting X-rays.Sometimes, the gas layer ignites suddenly in a thermonuclear explosion, causing a brief X-ray burst lasting seconds to minutes.This is what XSPECT observed first — a quick burst peaking in just a few seconds and fading over about 20 seconds. Then, surprisingly, about 16 minutes later, the star brightened again, but this time the burst lasted for about three hours.advertisementThis longer event is called a superburst and is caused by the explosive burning of carbon deep under the surface. Superbursts are very rare compared to normal bursts.XSPECT's detailed observations showed the neutron star's surface temperature during the bursts reached around 20 million degrees Kelvin, with a radius close to 9.3 kilometers.The data also suggest special processes like Compton scattering might be involved in the superburst's high brightness and slow fade.
India's XSPECT instrument aboard the XPoSat detected a rare thermonuclear burst. (Photo: Isro)
This discovery is important because it helps scientists understand the extreme physics of neutron stars and the behaviour of matter under intense gravity and heat.The superburst was also seen by another space instrument, MAXI, confirming the event.XSPECT's ability to observe X-rays without saturation and over long periods makes it uniquely suited to catch such rare events. The team plans to continue studying these bursts to learn more about the extreme environments around neutron stars and the processes powering these cosmic explosions.Must Watch
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