1997/01/22 by Martin J. Rees, Rees, Martin J.
Physics and Astronomy · #Astrophysics (astro-ph) #FOS: Physical sciences #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.astro-ph/9701162
14 pages Latex no figures
arxiv created 1997/01/22 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01
Although they were discovered more than 25 years ago, gamma-ray bursts are still a mystery. Even their characteristic distance is highly uncertain. All that we can be confident about is that they involve compact objects and relativistic plasma. Current ideas and prospects are briefly reviewed. There are, fortunately, several feasible types of observation that could soon clarify the issues.