Naked Eye Gamma Ray Burst

[MeteorWayne]

<p>Stumbled across this on the Bad Astronomy Blog...</p><p>Apparently it was about 10 seconds long in visible light</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>http://www.badastronomy.com/</p><p>Excerpt:</p><p>Holy Haleakala! Yesterday, a gamma-ray burst went off that was so bright that had you been looking at the right spot in the sky you could have seen it with just your own eyes!</p><p><img class="right" src="http://www.badastronomy.com/pix/bablog/2008/grb_twinjet.jpg" alt="Artist Dana Berry's drawing of a gamma ray burst going off" />It&rsquo;s difficult to put this into the proper context. GRBs are monumental explosions, the exploding of a massive star where most of the energy of the catastrophe is channeled into twin beams of energy. These beams scream out from the explosion like cosmic blowtorches, and for thousands of light years anything they touch is destroyed. Happily for us, GRBs always appear hundreds of millions or billions of light years away. </p><p>Let me put this in perspective for you. Imagine a one megaton nuclear weapon detonating. That&rsquo;s roughly 50 times the explosive yield of the bomb dropped on Nagasaki. Devastating. </p><p>The Sun, every second of every day of every year, <em>gives off 100 billion times this much energy</em>. That&rsquo;s <em>every second</em>. A star is a terrifying object.</p><p>In the few seconds that a gamma-ray burst lasts, it packs a million million <em>million</em> times that much energy into its beams. In other words, for those few ticks of a clock the GRB is sending out more energy than the Sun will <em>in its entire lifetime</em>.</p><p>So that&rsquo;s what makes GRB 080319B (the second GRB seen on 2008 March 19) so incredible: distance measurements put it at <strong>7.5 billion light years away</strong>, yet it was visible to the unaided eye had you just happened to be looking up at the sky at that moment.</p><p>This is the single brightest GRB ever seen in optical light, so as you can imagine reports are pouring in from observatories all over the world right now. Anything this bright must be extraordinary, and you can bet that astronomers will be falling over themselves to observe this incredible event. We still don&rsquo;t know enough about GRBS; just what mechanisms focus those beams? We know black holes are at their core, powering these events, but how do the gravity and magnetic fields come together to generate forces like this? How tightly focused are the beams? Do they open at a one degree angle? 5? 10? Why does every GRB behave somewhat differently, with some lasting for seconds and others for minutes?</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Link to observations:</p><p>http://grad40.as.utexas.edu/grblog.php?view=burst&GRB=20080319B</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[robnissen]

<p>7.5 Billion LY, and a single star can be seen with the naked eye.&nbsp; Simply amazing.</p>

 

[MeteorWayne]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>7.5 Billion LY, and a single star can be seen with the naked eye.&nbsp; Simply amazing. <br />Posted by robnissen</DIV></p><p>Truely amazing.</p><p>Here's a post yesterday from the meteorobs maillist from lontime observer George Gliba:</p><p><br />Fellow Observers,<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Last night the NASA SWIFT spacecraft saw the most extrinsically <br />luminous<br />Gamma-ray Burst ever known. Some ground based telescopes recorded the visual<br />optical afterglow to be 5th magnitude!<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Recently I talked to Dr. Chris Shrader who told me about it, as he <br />is on the Swift<br />team. After confirming it with ASD science writer Robert Naeye, he told <br />me that it<br />has a redshift of 0.9, which translates into a distance of 7 billion <br />light years! Robert<br />has notified the AAVSO to see if there were any visual variable star <br />observers who<br />may have seen it. Perhaps some meteor observers saw it or it was seen <br />with a video<br />camera. The time was 6:10 to 6:13 UT March 19, in Bootes. Below is the <br />exact location<br />as reported by the NASA Swift team member Stephen Holland.<br /><br />The coordinates for the optical afterglow of GRB 080319B are:<br /><br />RA(J2000.0) =&nbsp; 14:31:40.97<br />Dec(J2000.0) = +36:18:07.9<br /><br />Steven adds:<br /><br />With an estimated uncertainty of &plusmn;0.5 arcseconds.&nbsp; I would be very <br />interested in knowing if anyone managed to observe this.&nbsp; Such <br />observations may even have a scientific value in that they would help <br />pin down the exact shape of the light curve.<br /><br />GWG</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[CalliArcale]

<p>Holy freakin' heck.&nbsp; That is incredible!&nbsp; A visible GRB.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Thank you so much for sharing!&nbsp;</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#666699"><em>"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly . . . timey wimey . . . stuff."</em>  -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink"</font></p> </div>

 

[MeteorWayne]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Holy freakin' heck.&nbsp; That is incredible!&nbsp; A visible GRB.&nbsp;Thank you so much for sharing!&nbsp; <br />Posted by CalliArcale</DIV></p><p>From <font size="3" color="#ff6600">7 BILLION light years away</font>, no less. Wow!!!<br /></p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[derekmcd]

<p>Wow just doesn't cut it.&nbsp; I'm absolutely friggin floored.&nbsp; The energy output of this behemoth will likely dwarf anything that we have ever witnessed.&nbsp; I can't wait for more details. </p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <div> </div><br /><div><span style="color:#0000ff" class="Apple-style-span">"If something's hard to do, then it's not worth doing." - Homer Simpson</span></div> </div>

 

[derekmcd]

<p>10^17 solar luminosities.&nbsp; I just can't wrap my brain around that.&nbsp; Here a couple photos and an animation:</p><p><br /> <img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/15/15/dfb6240c-1826-4dc5-bfa4-5665d4657c7f.Medium.jpg" alt="" /></p><p><br /> <img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/0/15/d0fdc6ab-7854-40d5-affa-67bcf750490c.Medium.gif" alt="" /><br />&nbsp;^^^ - you have to click on this one for the gif to work. </p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <div> </div><br /><div><span style="color:#0000ff" class="Apple-style-span">"If something's hard to do, then it's not worth doing." - Homer Simpson</span></div> </div>

 

[lukman]

Anyone has seen the burst? for&nbsp;how long it will be visible? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[MeteorWayne]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Anyone has seen the burst? for&nbsp;how long it will be visible? <br />Posted by lukman</DIV></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>"Apparently it was about 10 seconds long in visible light"<br /></p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[vogon13]

<p>Ooops.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#ff0000"><strong>TPTB went to Dallas and all I got was Plucked !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#339966"><strong>So many people, so few recipes !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#0000ff"><strong>Let's clean up this stinkhole !!</strong></font> </p> </div>

 

[lukman]

Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>&nbsp;"Apparently it was about 10 seconds long in visible light" <br />Posted by MeteorWayne</DIV><br /><br />Why it was such a short time? was it because of&nbsp;the distance? what was the apparent magnitude? Is it somekind of hypernova? how often this happens? if it was closer, within milky way, what will happen? how is it compare to the brightest supernova in milkyway? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[MeteorWayne]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Why it was such a short time? was it because of&nbsp;the distance? what was the apparent magnitude? Is it somekind of hypernova? how often this happens? if it was closer, within milky way, what will happen? how is it compare to the brightest supernova in milkyway? <br />Posted by lukman</DIV></p><p>Yes, primarily beacuse of the extreme distance it is unlikely we will see an opical afterglow.<br /></p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[MeteorWayne]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Yes, primarily beacuse of the extreme distance it is unlikely we will see an opical afterglow. <br />Posted by MeteorWayne</DIV></p><p>Found this GREAT GRB tutorial.</p><p>http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/introduction/bursts.html</p><p>A good read! MW</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[3488]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'><font color="#ff0000">Found this GREAT GRB tutorial.http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/introduction/bursts.htmlA good read! MW <br />Posted by MeteorWayne</font></DIV></p><p><font size="2" color="#003300"><strong>&nbsp;A few years back, were there not thought to be OGREs (Optical Gamma Ray Emissions) in Lepus & Perseus also??</strong></font></p><p><font size="2" color="#003300"><strong>&nbsp;Andrew Brown.</strong></font><br /></p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080">"I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before".</font> <em><strong><font color="#000000">Linda Morabito </font></strong><font color="#800000">on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.</font></em></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://www.launchphotography.com/</font><br /><br /><font size="1" color="#000080">http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearth</font></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://web.me.com/meridianijournal</font></p> </div>

 

[PistolPete]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>The time was 6:10 to 6:13 UT March 19, in Bootes.<br /> Posted by MeteorWayne</DIV></p><p>Fooled around on Starry Night and found out that 0610 UTC would have been 0210 EST with the constellation Bootes right over head for the east coast.&nbsp; IIRC there were clears skies that night for my area.&nbsp; Man, if I had only known. </p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><em>So, again we are defeated. This victory belongs to the farmers, not us.</em></p><p><strong>-Kambei Shimada from the movie Seven Samurai</strong></p> </div>

 

[bearack]

<p><font size="2">Could I safely assume that this event occurred 7 billion years ago?&nbsp; And if so, what's the chances of our solar system getting hit with the burst, gamma rays?</font></p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><br /><img id="06322a8d-f18d-4ab1-8ea7-150275a4cb53" src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/6/14/06322a8d-f18d-4ab1-8ea7-150275a4cb53.Large.jpg" alt="blog post photo" /></p> </div>

 

[MeteorWayne]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Could I safely assume that this event occurred 7 billion years ago?&nbsp; And if so, what's the chances of our solar system getting hit with the burst, gamma rays? <br />Posted by bearack</DIV></p><p>Yes to part one.</p><p>As for part two, we did get hit with the gamma rays....that's how we detected them <img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/content/scripts/tinymce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-wink.gif" border="0" alt="Wink" title="Wink" /><br /></p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[bearack]

<p><font color="#ff0000"><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Yes to part one.As for part two, we did get hit with the gamma rays....that's how we detected them <br />Posted by MeteorWayne</DIV></font></p><p><font size="2">I mean a big blast of gamma radiation?&nbsp; Would the radiation travel at the same speed of the light of the burst?</font></p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><br /><img id="06322a8d-f18d-4ab1-8ea7-150275a4cb53" src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/6/14/06322a8d-f18d-4ab1-8ea7-150275a4cb53.Large.jpg" alt="blog post photo" /></p> </div>

 

[MeteorWayne]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>I mean a big blast of gamma radiation?&nbsp; Would the radiation travel at the same speed of the light of the burst? <br />Posted by bearack</DIV></p><p>Gamma rays are just a higher frequency of light, so they travel at c.<br /></p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[derekmcd]

<h1><font size="1" color="#0000ff">Hubble Pinpoints Record-Breaking Explosion</font></h1> <p><font color="#0000ff">Hubble Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) images of GRB 080319B, taken on Monday, April 7, show the fading optical counterpart of the titanic blast<br /><br /> <img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/5/12/054fcc93-06f4-4743-bc3a-58c5561120e9.Medium.jpg" alt="" /><br />&nbsp;</font></p><p><font color="#0000ff">The object erupted in a brilliant flash of gamma rays and other electromagnetic radiation at 2:12 a.m. EDT on March 19, and was detected by Swift, NASA's gamma ray burst watchdog satellite. Immediately after the explosion, the gamma ray burst glowed as a dim 5th magnitude "star" in the spring constellation Bootes. Designated GRB 080319B, the intergalactic firework has been fading away ever since then. Hubble astronomers had hoped to see the host galaxy where the burst presumably originated, but were taken aback that the light from the GRB is still drowning out the galaxy's light even three weeks after the explosion. This is particularly surprising because it was such a bright GRB initially. Previously, bright bursts have tended to fade more rapidly, which fits in to the theory that brighter GRBs emit their energy in a more tightly confined beam. The slow fading leaves astronomers puzzling about just where the energy came from to power this GRB, and makes Hubble's next observations of this object in May all the more crucial.</font></p><p>More at http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/2008/17/image/a/</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Still drowning out its host galaxy after 3 weeks?&nbsp; Wow!&nbsp; I can only imagine what kind of show it's putting on for any folks living in that galaxy.</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <div> </div><br /><div><span style="color:#0000ff" class="Apple-style-span">"If something's hard to do, then it's not worth doing." - Homer Simpson</span></div> </div>

 

[robnissen]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'> I can only imagine what kind of show it's putting on for any folks living in that galaxy. <br /></DIV></p><p>I wonder if it is putting on a show, or if the energy output is so immense that it has killed all life in that galaxy?<br /></p>