{
  "id": 11966036,
  "title": "Hidden X-ray phase revealed in likely neutron star merger",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/04/hidden-x-ray-phase-revealed-in-likely-neutron-star-merger",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-10-04T17:00:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Phys.org",
    "slug": "phys-org",
    "url": "https://phys.org/news/2026-09-hidden-ray-phase-revealed-neutron.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "An international team of astronomers, including researchers from the Department of Physics and the Hong Kong Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics (HKIAA) at The University of Hong Kong (HKU), has discovered a previously hidden phase of high-energy activity following the merger of compact stars. This event, known as EP250704a in X-rays and GRB 250704B in gamma rays, was observed by the China-led Einstein Probe (EP), the Space Variable Objects Monitor (SVOM) and the Insight-Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope (HXMT). While the gamma-ray burst lasted only about 0.4 seconds, the source continued to shine in soft X-rays for nearly 10 minutes, revealing a phase of activity that conventional gamma-ray observations would likely have missed. The findings have been published as a cover article in Science Bulletin, highlighting how Einstein Probe's continuous monitoring of a wide area of the sky at soft X-ray energies allowed researchers to uncover this hidden high-energy phase following the merger.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}