Brightest gamma-ray burst ever seen, the largest known explosion since Big Bang, has a unique jet st

Brightest gamma-ray burst ever seen, the largest known explosion since Big Bang, has a unique jet structure unlike any other

By Robert Lea published about 8 hours ago
The GRB, called the Brightest Of All Time (or BOAT) may be powered by its strange jet structure, scientists say.



The brightest gamma ray burst ever seen is forcing astronomers to rethink their theories. (Image credit: NASA/Swift/A. Beardmore (University of Leicester))


Scientists may finally know what made the largest explosion in the universe ever seen by humankind so powerful.
Astronomers have discovered that the brightest gamma-ray burst (GRB) ever seen had a unique jet structure and was dragging an unusually large amount of stellar material along with it.

This might explain the extreme properties of the burst, believed to have been launched when a massive star located around 2.4 billion light-years from Earth in the direction of the constellation Sagitta underwent total gravitational collapse to birth a black hole, as well as why its afterglow persisted for so long.

The GRB officially designated GRB 221009A but nicknamed the BOAT, or the brightest of all time, was spotted on October 9, 2022, and stood out from other GRBs due to its extreme nature. It was seen as an immensely bright flash of high-energy gamma-rays, followed by a low-fading afterglow across many wavelengths of light.

"GRB 221009A represents a massive step forward in our understanding of gamma-ray bursts and demonstrates that the most extreme explosions do not obey the standard physics assumed for garden variety gamma-ray bursts," George Washington University researcher and study lead author Brendan O'Connor said in a statement. O'Connor led a team that continued to monitor the BOAT GRB with the Gemini South Telescope in Chile following its initial discovery in Oct 2023.

More:
https://www.space.com/boat-gamma-ray-burst-unique-structure?utm_source=notification