Astronomy Picture of the Day
Posted By admin On April 19, 2011 @ 10:13 pm In Photo Essays | Comments Disabled
[1]
The GRB 110328A Symphony
Credit: NASA [2], ESA [3], and A. Fruchter (STScI [4])
Explanation: A symphony of planet-wide observations began abruptly on March 28 when the Earth-orbiting Swift satellite [5] detected a burst of high-frequency gamma-rays [6] from GRB 110328A. When the same source flared [7] again after a45 minute pause [8] it was clear this event was not a typical gamma-ray burst [9]. Twelve hours after [10] the initial fanfare astronomers using the 2.5-meter Nordic Optical Telescope [11] chimed in with a mid-range observation of the optical counterpart. Early the next day [12] the explosion was picked up in baritone low-frequencies of radio waves by the ELVA [13] radio dishes in the USA. Later many optical telescopes, including the 8-meter Gemini North telescope [14] in Hawaii, began playing along by tracking the optical counterpart. The unusual source was spotted at a higher register in X-rays [15] by the Chandra X-ray Observatory [16] and was intermittently followed [17] in the even more soprano-like gamma-ray range for a week. Joining the chorus, Hubble Space Telescope [18] recorded this image [19] in optical and infrared [20] light, confirming that the flash was located along the path of a galaxy at redshift [21] 0.351. If associated with the galaxy, this explosion occurred when the universe was about [22] two thirds of its present age. There is much speculation that the unusual gamma-ray burst was a star being ripped apart by a supermassive black hole [23] in the center of a galaxy and the puzzling [24] features of the distant detonation are still being explored.
Visit the NASA/JPL website to view more Astronomy Pictures of the Day [25]
Article printed from Recorder Online: http://www.berthoudrecorder.com
URL to article: http://www.berthoudrecorder.com/2011/04/19/astronomy-picture-of-the-day-59/
URLs in this post:
[1] Image: http://www.berthoudrecorder.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/grb110328a_hst_2000.jpg
[2] NASA: http://www.nasa.gov/
[3] ESA: http://www.esa.int/
[4] STScI: http://www.stsci.edu/portal/
[5] Swift satellite: http://heasarc.nasa.gov/docs/swift/swiftsc.html
[6] gamma-rays: http://science.hq.nasa.gov/kids/imagers/ems/gamma.html
[7] source flared: http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2011/04/07/followup-on-the-star-torn-apart-by-a-black-hole-hubble-picture/
[8] 45 minute pause: http://gcn.gsfc.nasa.gov/gcn3/11824.gcn3
[9] gamma-ray burst: http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/science/know_l1/bursts.html
[10] hours after: http://gcn.gsfc.nasa.gov/gcn3/11830.gcn3
[11] Nordic Optical Telescope: http://www.not.iac.es/weather/index.php?v=webcam1
[12] next day: http://gcn.gsfc.nasa.gov/gcn3/11836.gcn3
[13] ELVA: http://www.aoc.nrao.edu/evla/
[14] Gemini North telescope: http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap030909.html
[15] X-rays: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkj5ZlAF4SY
[16] Chandra X-ray Observatory: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandra_X-ray_Observatory
[17] followed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7z147i9czI
[18] Hubble Space Telescope: http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap090520.html
[19] this image: http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/2011/10/
[20] infrared: http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/cosmic_classroom/ir_tutorial/
[21] redshift: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redshift
[22] about: http://www.astro.ucla.edu/~wright/CosmoCalc.html
[23] black hole: http://asterisk.apod.com/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=18007
[24] puzzling: http://www.biojobblog.com/uploads/image/demystifying%20science.jpg
[25] Astronomy Pictures of the Day: http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/
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