Gamma-ray bursts(GRBs) 101
Lasting anywhere from a few milliseconds to several minutes, GRBs shine
hundreds of times brighter than a typical supernova and about a million trillion times as brightas the Sun.
When a GRB erupts, it is briefly the brightest source of cosmic gamma-ray
photons in the observable Universe.
Artistic representation of a GRB |
GRBs were first detected accidentally in 1967 with a satellite network called "Vela".These satellite systems were designed to detect covert nuclear weapons tests by USA.
Vela satellite |
These bursts are categorized in to three main categories depending on their duration.
- Short Gamma Ray bursts
- Long Gamma Ray bursts
- Ultra long Gamma Ray bursts
As these incidents are very random, scientists still know very little about the phenomena.If this type of explosion happen near our solar system it's radiation may incinerate our planet.
No comments: