To announce their arrival, black holes give off a birth cry—an energetic flash of light known as a gamma-ray burst. Now, astronomers have evidence that just minutes later, the newborns emit powerful X-ray burps as well.
ALL FIRED UP. Satellite observations now suggest that a newborn black hole not only spawns a gamma-ray burst but repeatedly reenergizes the event by generating a series of outbursts (shown horizontally in this illustration) within minutes of the initial burst.
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