Astronomers witness explosive 'demolition derby' destroying star near black hole.

Astronomers have discovered a new way for stars to meet their demise by colliding with each other in the crowded heart of an ancient galaxy, resulting in a long-duration gamma-ray burst visible across billions of light-years. The event, called GRB 191019A, was caused by the merger of two compact objects, likely stellar remnants, in close proximity to the central supermassive black hole. This discovery could help answer questions about how stars die and what unexpected sources might create gravitational waves. Astronomers hope to find more of these events and match them with corresponding gravitational-wave detections using current and upcoming observatories.