Once upon a time, in a small town called Willowbrook, lived a young boy named Tad. Tad was an adventurous spirit, always seeking out new and exciting experiences. Unfortunately, Tad's adventurous nature often led him to trouble, as he would often find himself getting lost or in dangerous situations. One day, Tad stumbled upon an ancient map hidden within the walls of an old bookstore. The map depicted a mysterious pyramid located deep within the treacherous Whispering Desert. Tad's heart raced with excitement as he imagined the treasures and secrets that lay within.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
Not only that, but Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind will also feature the first reverse launch on a coaster in Disney history and is one of the longest enclosed coasters in the world. Here you see them in the Galaxarium, which when completed will feature a planetarium-type presentation where the Xandarians show us their world, their people and their advanced technologies.
Tad's heart raced with excitement as he imagined the treasures and secrets that lay within. He knew he had to embark on this new adventure, no matter the risks. As Tad set off on his journey, he quickly became enchanted by the desolate beauty of the Whispering Desert.
NASA Missions Probe Game-Changing Cosmic Explosion
On Dec. 11, 2021, NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory and Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope detected a blast of high-energy light from the outskirts of a galaxy around 1 billion light-years away. The event has rattled scientists’ understanding of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), the most powerful events in the universe.
For the last few decades, astronomers have generally divided GRBs into two categories. Long bursts emit gamma rays for two seconds or more and originate from the formation of dense objects like black holes in the centers of massive collapsing stars. Short bursts emit gamma rays for less than two seconds and are caused by mergers of dense objects like neutron stars. Scientists sometimes observe short bursts with a following flare of visible and infrared light called a kilonova.
“This burst, named GRB 211211A, was paradigm-shifting as it is the first long-duration gamma-ray burst traced to a neutron star merger origin,” said Jillian Rastinejad, a graduate student at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, who led one team that studied the burst. “The high-energy burst lasted about a minute, and our follow-up observations led to the identification of a kilonova. This discovery has deep implications for how the universe’s heavy elements came to be.”
Watch to learn how an event called GRB 211211A rocked scientists’s understanding of gamma-ray bursts – the most powerful explosions in the cosmos. Download high-resolution video and images from NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio. Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
A classic short gamma-ray burst begins with two orbiting neutron stars, the crushed remnants of massive stars that exploded as supernovae. As the stars circle ever closer, they strip neutron-rich material from each other. They also generate gravitational waves, or ripples in space-time – although none were detected from this event.
Eventually the neutron stars collide and merge, creating a cloud of hot debris emitting light across multiple wavelengths. Scientists hypothesize that jets of high-speed particles, launched by the merger, produce the initial gamma-ray flare before they collide with the wreckage. Heat generated by the radioactive decay of elements in the neutron-rich debris likely creates the kilonova’s visible and infrared light. This decay results in the production of heavy elements like gold and platinum.
“Many years ago, Neil Gehrels, an astrophysicist and Swift’s namesake, suggested that neutron star mergers could produce some long bursts,” said Eleonora Troja, an astrophysicist at the University of Rome who led another team that studied the burst. “The kilonova we observed is the proof that connects mergers to these long-duration events, forcing us to rethink how black holes are formed.”
Fermi and Swift detected the burst simultaneously, and Swift was able to rapidly identify its location in the constellation Boötes, enabling other facilities to quickly respond with follow-up observations. Their observations have provided the earliest look yet at the first stages of a kilonova.
Banner image: Gamma-ray burst 211211A, the location of which is circled in red, erupted on the outskirts of a spiral galaxy around 1 billion light-years away in the constellation Boötes. The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope captured the image with its Wide Field Camera 3 and Advanced Camera for Surveys.
Credit: NASA, ESA, Rastinejad et al. (2022), and Gladys Kober (Catholic Univ. of America)Many research groups have delved into the observations collected by Swift, Fermi, the Hubble Space Telescope, and others. Some have suggested the burst’s oddities could be explained by the merger of a neutron star with another massive object, like a black hole. The event was also relatively nearby, by gamma-ray burst standards, which may have allowed telescopes to catch the kilonova’s fainter light. Perhaps some distant long bursts could also produce kilonovae, but we haven’t been able to see them.
The light following the burst, called the afterglow emission, also exhibited unusual features. Fermi detected high-energy gamma rays starting 1.5 hours post-burst and lasting more than 2 hours. These gamma rays reached energies of up to 1 billion electron volts. (Visible light’s energy measures between about 2 and 3 electron volts, for comparison.)
“This is the first time we’ve seen such an excess of high-energy gamma rays in the afterglow of a merger event. Normally that emission decreases over time,” said Alessio Mei, a doctoral candidate at the Gran Sasso Science Institute in L’Aquila, Italy, who led a group that studied the data. “It’s possible these high-energy gamma rays come from collisions between visible light from the kilonova and electrons in particle jets. The jets could be weakening ones from the original explosion or new ones powered by the resulting black hole or magnetar.”
Scientists think neutron star mergers are a major source of the universe’s heavy elements. They based their estimates on the rate of short bursts thought to occur across the cosmos. Now they’ll need to factor long bursts into their calculations as well.
Two neutron stars begin to merge in this illustration, blasting a jet of high-speed particles and producing a cloud of debris. Scientists think these kinds of events are factories for a significant portion of the universe’s heavy elements, including gold.
Credit: A. Simonnet (Sonoma State Univ.) and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight CenterA team led by Benjamin Gompertz, an astrophysicist at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom, looked at the entire high-energy light curve, or the evolution of the event’s brightness over time. The scientists noted features that might provide a key for identifying similar incidents – long bursts from mergers – in the future, even ones that are dimmer or more distant. The more astronomers can find, the more they can refine their understanding of this new class of phenomena.
On Dec. 7, 2022, papers led by Rastinejad, Troja, and Mei were published in the scientific journal Nature, and a paper led by Gompertz was published in Nature Astronomy.
“This result underscores the importance of our missions working together and with others to provide multiwavelength follow up of these kinds of phenomenon,” said Regina Caputo, Swift project scientist, at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “Similar coordinated efforts have hinted that some supernovae might produce short bursts, but this event is the final nail in the coffin for the simple dichotomy we’ve used for years. You never know when you might find something surprising.”
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center manages the Swift and Fermi missions.
Swift is a collaboration with Penn State, the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, and Northrop Grumman Space Systems in Dulles, Virginia, with important contributions from partners in the United Kingdom and Italy.
Fermi is a collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy, with important contributions from partners in France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Sweden, and the United States.
The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and ESA (European Space Agency). Goddard manages the telescope. The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore conducts science operations. STScI is operated for NASA by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, in Washington, D.C.
By Jeanette Kazmierczak
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md
Media Contact:
Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md
Watch to learn how an event called GRB 211211A rocked scientists’s understanding of gamma-ray bursts – the most powerful explosions in the cosmos. Download high-resolution video and images from NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio. Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
The vast sand dunes seemed to whisper secrets to him as he made his way towards the pyramid. The scorching sun beat down upon him, the hot sand burning his bare feet. But Tad's determination pushed him forward, fueled by the allure of uncovering ancient mysteries. Upon reaching the pyramid, Tad noticed a warning etched into its crumbling walls. The warning spoke of a curse that befell anyone who dared enter the sacred tomb of the ancient mummy. Tad hesitated for a moment, contemplating whether to turn back. But the thought of the curse only fueled his curiosity further. With a deep breath, he stepped over the threshold and into the dark passageways of the pyramid. Inside, Tad navigated through a labyrinth of treacherous traps and puzzles. He skillfully avoided pitfalls and secret chambers, relying on his wit and resourcefulness. As he ventured deeper into the pyramid, Tad could feel the weight of the curse lingering around him. It whispered in his ear, threatening his very existence. Finally, Tad reached the chamber of the ancient mummy. The room was adorned with gold and glimmering jewels, a breathtaking sight. But as Tad reached out to touch a nearby artifact, a surge of energy pulsed through his body. The curse had been triggered. Tad found himself locked within the tomb, unable to escape. The walls closed in around him, threatening to crush him. Panic filled his heart as he desperately searched for a way out. But just as hope seemed lost, Tad remembered an ancient symbol he had seen earlier. With a quick thinking, he traced the symbol on the wall beside him. Like magic, the walls halted their descent, leaving Tad gasping for air. He had successfully broken the curse. With newfound determination, Tad vowed to escape the pyramid and protect its hidden secrets. He knew that some mysteries were best left undiscovered. Weeks later, Tad emerged from the Whispering Desert, forever changed by his encounter with the curse of the ancient mummy. He became known throughout Willowbrook as a hero, a testament to his courage and resourcefulness. And although the allure of adventure never left him, Tad treaded more cautiously, always remembering the power of ancient curses and the importance of humility in the face of the unknown..
Reviews for "The ancient mummy's curse unleashed – Tad's battle for survival"
1. Sarah - 2/5 stars - I was really disappointed with "Tad the forgotten adventurer and the curse of the ancient mummy." The storyline was weak and predictable, and the characters were one-dimensional. I found myself not caring about what happened to Tad or any of the other characters. The animation was also underwhelming, with poorly rendered scenes and lackluster visual effects. Overall, I expected more from this film, and it failed to deliver.
2. Michael - 1/5 stars - "Tad the forgotten adventurer and the curse of the ancient mummy" was one of the worst animated films I have seen in a long time. The humor felt forced and fell flat, and the voice acting was lackluster. The plot was incredibly cliché and the pacing was uneven. Additionally, the animation itself was of low quality, with choppy movements and bland visuals. I wouldn't recommend wasting your time or money on this film.
3. Emily - 2/5 stars - I had high hopes for "Tad the forgotten adventurer and the curse of the ancient mummy," but it ultimately fell short. The characters were uninteresting and the dialogue felt forced. The plot had potential, but it was poorly executed and lacked excitement. The animation was mediocre at best, with outdated graphics and unimpressive visual effects. Overall, I was disappointed with this film and wouldn't recommend it to others.
4. David - 2/5 stars - "Tad the forgotten adventurer and the curse of the ancient mummy" was a forgettable animated film. The story was predictable and lacked originality. The characters were forgettable and lacked depth, making it hard to care about their journey. The animation was average, with nothing particularly memorable or impressive. Overall, I found this film to be underwhelming and wouldn't watch it again.