GRB 990510: Another Unusual Gamma Ray Burst
Explanation:
Another huge explosion has lit up the universe,
and astronomers are studying it as best they can
before the light fades away.
Two weeks ago, the
BATSE
instrument on the orbiting NASA Great Observatory
Compton detected unusually bright flashes of
gamma-rays from a point deep in the southern sky.
This
gamma-ray burst was also
recorded by the orbiting
Beppo-SAX satellite,
which downlinked an accurate position followed
by the world's largest optical telescopes.
The subsequent fading optical transient,
pictured above, is so far out in the universe
its light is measured to be
redshifted by factor of
at least 1.6.
The type of
powerful explosion
that caused this
gamma-ray burst is not only still unknown,
but found to be
fading in an unusual way.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
