A US research team observed the largest gamma-ray burst ever recorded on the morning of the 9th.
The largest gamma-ray burst (GRB) ever recorded, believed to have occurred during the birth of a black hole 2.4 billion light-years from Earth, has been captured and astronomers from around the world, including states United, they are watching, AFP news agency reported on 14 (local time).
Gamma-ray bursts are the most powerful electromagnetic emission phenomena in the universe.This gamma-ray burst (GRB 221009A) was first captured by the Swift X-Ray Telescope orbiting the Earth on the 9th, and ever since. scientists from around the world followed – observations were made.
Professor Brendan O’Connor, an astrophysicist at the University of Maryland and George Washington University, said the gamma-ray burst lasted hundreds of seconds and was believed to have been caused by the death of a star 30 times more massive than the Sun.
When a star that is several tens of times larger than the Sun consumes all of its hydrogen and helium through nuclear fusion, a supernova explodes, expelling matter and energy at a speed of 99.99% the speed of light, and becomes a hole. black.
Professor O’Connor said the gamma-ray burst emits 18 TeV (tera electron volts = 10 to 12 electron volts), affecting long-wave radio communications in the ionosphere of Earth’s atmosphere.
“This is a record in terms of both the amount of photons emitted and the energy of photons reaching Earth,” he added.
Research into gamma-ray detonation began in the 1960s, when a satellite launched by the United States to monitor whether the Soviet Union was testing bombs in captured explosions from space outside the Milky Way.
‘Gamma-ray bursts typically release energy equivalent to the life of the sun within seconds,’ said Professor O’Connor.
Some astrophysicists in the past have argued that gamma-ray bursts release enormous amounts of energy, so if directed towards Earth, they could lead to the extinction of life on Earth.
However, O’Connor said, “It’s not something to worry about,” O’Connor said.
This gamma-ray burst is estimated to have occurred in the constellation of Sagittarius and has flown for 1.9 billion years.
The current distance between the origin and the Earth is much greater than this as the universe continues to expand.
Events like this offer astronomers a rare opportunity to directly observe the process of black hole formation.
Professor O’Connor said that in the next few weeks he and his colleagues will be observing the characteristics of the supernova with both optical and infrared telescopes to determine whether the hypothesis about the origin of the gamma-ray burst is correct and whether it is consistent with the existing physics explanations. said.
/ yunhap news
