Scientists have confirmed that a rare gamma-ray burst (GRB) detected last year is likely the brightest cosmic explosion that has occurred “since human civilization began”.
Officially named GRB 221009A, the explosion was quickly dubbed the BOAT, or Brightest Record, after it was discovered on October 9, 2022.
“GRB 221009A is possibly the brightest burst of X-ray and gamma-ray energy ever seen since the dawn of human civilization,” Eric Burns, Louisiana State University assistant professor of physics and astronomy, said in a NASA press release.
Explosions as bright and powerful as boats only happen once every 10,000 years, according to a new study led by Burns that estimates the frequency of their occurrence. The gamma burst was initially detected by instruments on the orbiting spacecraft, which were blinded by the force of the GRB, and immediately sent an alert to Earth scientists warning them of the event.
Then the powerful telescope on GRB 221009A was used to study the effects of a less energetic cosmic explosion. The explosion is estimated to be about 2 billion light years from Earth, placing it far beyond the boundaries of our Milky Way galaxy, but still one of the closest types of GRBs discovered to date.
The data also revealed that BOAT is about 70 times brighter than previously detected GRBs, allowing it to easily outperform its parent galaxy. The extraordinary event likely heralds the death of a star and the birth of a new black hole.
said Daniel Bjorn Malisani of Radboud University in the Netherlands In a press release issued by the Niels Bohr Institute. “In the 290 seconds that it lasts, GRB 221009A releases nearly 1,000 times more energy than our Sun emits over its 4.5 billion year life.”
GRBs are often accompanied by supernova explosions which can be seen in the weeks following the event. However, observations by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and Hubble have so far failed to find evidence of its aftermath. This may be due to the GRB’s location – several degrees above the galactic plane – surrounded by a suffocating cloud of cosmic dust and gas.
Astronomers hope that more observations from powerful telescopes in the coming months will help answer the question of whether a supernova exists, and is very faint, or doesn’t occur at all.
Professor of astrophysics Andrew Levanat, also from Radboud University, commented: “We cannot definitively say that there was a supernova, which is surprising given the brightness of the explosion.” “If anything, it’s very dim. We plan to continue the search, but it is possible that the entire star collapses directly into the black hole instead of exploding.”
How are gamma-ray bursts created?
Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are the brightest and most powerful class of explosions known to have occurred in the observable universe after the Big Bang that created them. Most GRBs occur when a star more massive than our Sun runs out of fuel to power the nuclear reactions in its core.
The subsequent collapse produces a new black hole, which once created pushes a narrow stream of particles away from it at nearly the speed of light, producing an extremely bright burst of gamma rays.
Astronomers also believe that these rare bursts of radiation occur when two very dense neutron stars collide, or in the rare case when such a star merges with a nearby black hole.
GRB is very difficult to catch. This is because they are very short lived – with an initial burst It lasts from a tenth of a second to more than two hours – Appears randomly. Earth’s atmosphere easily absorbs gamma rays, so scientists must rely on orbiting spacecraft to detect the initial burst of radiation, and see where to target observations with larger telescopes.
It is also believed that energetic events are responsible for creating complex heavy elements such as gold and platinum. A set of papers describing the discovery has been published in Astrophysics Journal Letter. Stay tuned to IGN for the latest and greatest news from the world of science.
Anthony is a freelance contributor covering science and video game news for IGN. He has over eight years of experience covering the latest developments in various scientific fields and has absolutely no time to fool you. Follow him on Twitter @BeardConGamer
Image credit: NASA/Swift/A.Beardmore (University of Leicester)
