When I first saw that sign, I got chills. This sentence, pronounced by Maria Edvige Ravasio, scientist of the Radboud Universityperfectly sums up the emotion and amazement that accompanied the discovery of a hidden signal never seen before in an explosion cosmic epic. But what made this event so extraordinary?
An unprecedented event: the gamma ray burst BOAT
The BOAT (Brightest Of All Time), the brightest gamma-ray burst of all time, was detected in October 2022. This event, generated by the collapse of a star massive into a black hole, it produced an enormous amount of energy, so much so that it nearly blinded NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope.
A mysterious signal
A few minutes after the eruption of the BOATFermi’s Gamma-ray Burst Monitor recorded an unusual energy spike. This signal immediately caught the attention of researchers, who later confirmed that it was the first high confidence emission line never seen in 50 years of studies on GRBs (Gamma Ray Bursts). An extraordinary resultwhich has pushed science a step forward in understanding these cosmic phenomena.
What caused this energy spike?
According to scientists, the energy spike was probably produced by the annihilation of matter and antimatter. During the collapse of the star, external material was ejected into space, accompanied by powerful jets of particles that shot out in directions opposites. Inside one of these jets, an electron and a positron (an antimatter electron) collided, releasing a huge amount of energy.
An unprecedented emission
This phenomenon produced an emission of approximately half a million electron voltsfurther amplified by the fact that the jet was traveling directly toward us, increasing the frequency of the gamma rays. As Gor Oganesyan of the Gran Sasso Science Institute in Italy explained, “Looking into the jet, where matter is moving at close to the speed of light, this emission becomes strongly blueshifted and pushed to much higher energies.”
Despite this explosion even if it wasn’t as powerful as it initially appeared, the BOAT remains a phenomenon absolutely spectacular. And because we have had such a clear vision of it, it will continue to provide plenty of information in the future. Elizabeth Hey, scientist of the Fermi project at the Goddard Space Flight Center in NASAsaid: “After decades of studying these incredible cosmic explosions, we still don’t understand the details of how these jets work. Finding clues like this remarkable emission line will help scientists delve deeper into this extreme environment.”
This event reminds us how the universe can be unpredictable and extraordinary. Every new discovery not only answers questions existingbut raises new ones, fueling our thirst for knowledge. And you, what do you think about this incredible discovery? Leave us a comment with your thoughts!
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