Short GRBs are generated when two dense stars, or even a star and a black hole, join together in an event that can be as rapid as two seconds or less.

Long GRBs are generated when massive stars collapse.

But GRB 200826A, detected in August 2020, surprised scientists because it was short but also appears to have come from the collapse of a star.

The astronomers also found the afterglow from the star's collapse, known as a supernova, which suggested the source of the GRB was indeed a collapsing star and not a binary merger event typically associated with short GRBs.

The shortness of the burst also suggests that the star only just managed to produce them, which may help scientists explain why they spot many more supernovae than they do GRBs.