NASA’s Swift and Fermi missions detect exceptional cosmic blast
Astronomers think GRB 221009A represents the birth of a new black hole formed within the heart of a collapsing star. In this illustration, the black hole drives powerful jets of particles traveling near the speed of light. The jets pierce through the star, emitting X-rays and gamma rays as they stream into space. Credit: NASA/Swift/Cruz deWilde

The bright and long- lasting pulse of high-energy radiation that swept over Earth on Sunday, October 9 is being watched byAstronomers around the world The emission came from the most powerful explosion in the universe, a GRB.

A wave of X-rays and gamma rays passed through the solar system on Sunday morning, triggering detectors aboard NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, and Wind spacecraft. New observations are being made by telescopes around the world.

The explosion was called GRB 221009A and it gave an exciting start to the 10th Fermi Symposium. Judy Racusin, a deputy project scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, said that the meeting started with a bang.

NASA’s Swift, Fermi Missions Detect Exceptional Cosmic Blast
Swift’s X-Ray Telescope captured the afterglow of GRB 221009A about an hour after it was first detected. The bright rings form as a result of X-rays scattered from otherwise unobservable dust layers within our galaxy that lie in the direction of the burst. Credits: Credit: NASA/Swift/A. Beardmore (University of Leicester)

It took 1.9 billion years for the signal to reach Earth. It is thought to be the birth cry of a new black hole, one that formed in the center of a massive star. Powerful jets of particles travel near the speed of light when a black hole is formed. As the jets pierce through the star, they emit X-rays andgamma rays.

This sequence constructed from Fermi Large Area Telescope data reveals the sky in gamma rays centered on the location of GRB 221009A. Each frame shows gamma rays with energies greater than 100 million electron volts (MeV), where brighter colors indicate a stronger gamma-ray signal. In total, they represent more than 10 hours of observations. The glow from the midplane of our Milky Way galaxy appears as a wide diagonal band. The image is about 20 degrees across. Credit: NASA/DOE/Fermi LAT Collaboration

A link between two experiments on the International Space Station was provided by the burst. The link was activated in April. In the past, scientists on the ground had to intervene in actions that were detected by MAXi.

As soon as the source became visible to the telescope, OHman provided an automated alert that enabled the NICER to follow up. Responses to future opportunities could take a few minutes.

There are new insights into stellar collapse, the birth of a black hole, the behavior and interaction of matter near the speed of light, and much more. This bright may not appear again for a long time.

Images taken in visible light by Swift’s Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope show how the afterglow of GRB 221009A (circled) faded over the course of about 10 hours. The explosion appeared in the constellation Sagitta and occurred 1.9 billion years ago. The image is about 4 arcminutes across. Credit: NASA/Swift/B. Cenko

The burst was spotted by the LAT for more than 10 hours. The burst is bright and lasts a long time because it is close to us.

"This burst is much closer than typical GRBs, which is exciting because it allows us to detect many details that otherwise would be too faint to see," said Roberta Pillera, a member of the Fermi LAT Collaboration. It's one of the most energetic and Luminous bursts ever seen regardless of distance.

NASA NICER X-rayNASA Fermi Gamma-rayNICER X-ray telescopeFermi LAT Collaboration
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