It has been one of the brightest cosmic events ever captured.
Scientists have revealed how US NASA instruments detected the brightest gamma-ray burst on record.
The GRB burst occurred at 2 billion light years from Earth and illuminated much of our galaxy.
Images of the rare and powerful cosmic phenomenon show a halo and shapes similar to a target shooting “bull’s eye.”
Experts, including academics at the University of Leicester in the UK, say the GRB was 10 times brighter than anything previously detected.
They published a detailed analysis of the powerful explosion that was detected on October 9, 2022.
It was officially named GRB 221009A, but has been dubbed BOAT by those working on NASA’s Swift team.
“We were very lucky to see something like this. We estimate that such bright events occur about once every 1,000 yearssaid Phil Evans, an X-ray astronomer who was involved in the work.
“By studying the evolution of this amazingly bright GRB in great detail, we can learn a lot about the physics of a blast wave,” he continued.
“Just as slow-motion images reveal details about movements, breaking our data into small chunks allows us to see how the GRB changes and learn more about them.”
The Swift team said its Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, a satellite telescope designed to study GRBs from space, was initially unable to observe the outburst because Earth was obstructing its view.
However, 55 minutes later, when the satellite’s orbit allowed it to have a clear view of the GRB, its systems successfully detected it and captured images of it.
What are gamma-ray bursts?
gamma ray bursts They are the most violent explosions in the Universewhich release more energy than the Sun would release in 10 billion years.
They are the result of catastrophic supernova explosions as massive stars die. Studies indicate that they occur when a black hole is formed by an extremely powerful type of supernova.
First this hole creates a magnetic field that controls the energy emission jets. Then, when this magnetic field gets smaller, matter takes over and dominates these jets.
Previously, energy was thought to be governed by one of two things, but recent studies have shown that both the magnetic field and energy play a fundamental role.
The first GRB was discovered in the late 1960s by a satellite trying to detect Soviet Union violations of the nuclear test ban treaty.
Since then, thousands have been seen by different instruments.
Dr Andy Beadmore, who is also part of the University of Leicester’s Swift team, said: “Not only are these patterns beautiful, but they are also are scientifically useful“.
“We are seeing a significant amount of dust in our galaxy illuminated by the intense burst of light from the GRB, 2 billion light-years away, which is like a torch shining through a cloud,” he explained.
Experts, Beadmore continued, now have the opportunity to study the nature and composition of that dust, which was detected at great distances from the Sun.
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