Such a large explosion has never been seen in outer space.
According to a recent study, the explosion of a distant, nascent black hole was so powerful that it even shook the Earth’s upper atmosphere, writes the ScienceAlert. The gamma-ray burst, GRB 221009A, occurred roughly 2.4 billion light-years away and was detected in October 2022. The 18 teraelectronvolt event is a record-breaker: such a large explosion has never been seen in outer space, writes a 24.hu.
As a result of the event, temporary, large changes occurred in the electric field of the earth’s ionosphere, at an altitude of about 500 kilometers. The ionosphere is a relatively thick layer 50-1000 kilometers from the surface. This is the part of the atmosphere where extreme ultraviolet and X-ray radiation from the Sun ionizes atoms and molecules, creating free electrons. The ionosphere reflects radio waves used for communication and navigation. When a powerful space event, such as a solar flare, occurs, changes in the lower ionosphere can be inferred from observing the evolution of the reflection.
Thus, it was possible to detect the effects of GRB 221009A in the lower ionosphere, 60-100 kilometers from the surface. The gamma-ray burst itself lasted approximately 7 minutes, but its effects remained detectable for approximately 10 hours. Experts hope that the data will give them a better understanding of what would happen to Earth if a similar event were to occur much closer.
2023-11-16 20:49:00
#Earth #felt #gigantic #explosion #space
