A record gamma ray burst observed by space telescopes. Is this the birth cry of a black hole?
A “flash” of light. Not just any light. The most energetic light ever observed by astronomers. This flash is occurred 1.9 billion light-years from Earth, in the constellation of the Arrow. It was detected by the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope and the Swift Telescope, two space telescopes designed by NASA.
A record gamma-ray burst observed by space telescopes
To be quite precise, it is a gamma-ray burst, one of the most energetic phenomena that the Universe has to offer us. Baptized GRB 221009A (GRB for Gamma Ray Burst), this eruption might be the “birth cry” of a black hole. And we continue to study its residual manifestations.
The flash released photos charged with a record 18 teraelectronvolts of energy, and it impacted long-wave communications in our atmosphere. planet. “This breaks records, both in the amount of photons and in the energy of the photons that reach us“, explains astrophysicist Brendan O’Connor. “Something so bright, so close, it really is a once-in-a-century event..” Other long gamma-ray bursts had already been studied, but much further in the Universe.
Is this the birth cry of a black hole?
“Gamma-ray flares in general release in a matter of seconds the same amount of energy that our Sun has produced or will produce in its entire lifetime – and this event is the brightest gamma-ray flare…” It is understandable that the specialists in the matter are elated. Brendan O’Connor is not done with this important event. He will continue to scan the sky in the coming weeks for possible distinctive signs of a supernova, which would confirm the hypotheses on the origin of the flash.
