GRBs (Gamma-Rays Bursts) are flashes of gamma rays of high intensity but lasting only a few seconds. It is believed that they are related to the end of massive stars, although the mechanisms that produce these phenomena are still largely shrouded in mystery. On the night of November 8, AGILE has revealed GRB 131108A, that, for some tens of seconds, showed a brightness exceptionally high even for events of this kind.
This discovery is even more interesting considering the distance from which the gamma photons of this GRB are coming. The place of origin was in fact identified in a galaxy at redshift 2.4, which corresponds to about 10 billion light years. The brightness and the distance of this event imply that the energy released in a few seconds by this GRB is 1000 times greater than that produced by the Sun during its entire life.