Gamma-ray Burst Aftermath Spotted; Astronomers Say It Occurred 2.4 Billion Light-years From Earth

Astronomers using the Gemini South telescope in Chile, operated by the NOIRLab of NSF, recently observed the unprecedented aftermath of the Gamma-Ray Burst's most powerful explosion ever on record, GRB221009A.

As specified in a Phys.org report, this record-shattering occurrence, detected early this month by orbiting X-ray and gamma-ray telescopes, took place 2.4 billion light-years from Earth and was likely stimulated by a supernova explosion, "giving birth to a black hole."

A titanic cosmic explosion stimulated a burst of activity from astronomers worldwide as they raced to investigate the aftermath, which is one of the closest and possibly, most energetic gamma-ray bursts, or BRB, ever observed.

Recently-released observations by two independent teams that use the Gemini South telescope in Chile, one of the two telescopes of the International Gemini Observatory NOIRLab of NSF operates, targeted the bright, glowing remains of the explosion, which likely heralded a supernova, as earlier mentioned, giving birth to a black hole.

Gamma-Ray Burst Around 2.4 Billion Light-Years Away

The GRB, also called GRB 221009A, occurred roughly 2.4 billion light-years away in the direction of the Sagitta constellation, a similar Newswise report said.

It was initially spotted on the morning of October 9 this year by X-ray and gamma-ray space telescopes, which include the Femi Gamma-ray Space Telescope of NASA, Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, and the Wind spacecraft.

As reports about this discovery spread fast, two teams of astronomers worked closely with the Gemini South staff to obtain the earliest-possible observation of the historic explosion's afterglow.

In the early morning hours of the said date, two Rapid Target of Opportunity imaging observations were done by two independent groups of observers led by graduate students Brendan O'Connor from the University of Maryland and George Washington University and Jillian Rastinejad from Northwestern University.

Imaging Observations Used

The observations took place within a few minutes intervals. The first observation used the FLAMINGOS-2 instrument, an almost infrared imaging spectrograph. The other observation used the GMOs or Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph.

The research teams now have access to both datasets to analyze this vibrant and developing event.

O'Connor explained that the exceptionally long GRB 221009A is the brightest GRB ever recorded, and its afterglow smashes "all records at all wavelengths."

Since this burst is ultra-bright, not to mention nearby, the researchers think this is a once-in-a-century opportunity to address some of the most fundamental questions about such explosions, from the black holes' formation to tests of dark matter models.

When black holes are forming, they are riving powerful jets of particles that are accelerated to almost the speed of light. Such jets then piece through what remains of the progenitor star, releasing X-rays and gamma rays as they stream into space.

Related information about Gamma-ray bursts is shown in What If's YouTube video below:

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