fathom-the-universe:

Gamma Ray Bursts - the biggest blast in the universe

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are the most powerful events in the Universe. GRBs are flashes of gamma-rays that last from less than a second to several minutes. They release a tremendous amount of energy and they are thought to occur when stars explode and subsequently collapse into black holes. In the explosion, two jets of very fast-moving material are ejected from the star’s magnetic poles. If a jet happens to be aimed at Earth, we see a brief but powerful gamma-ray burst. 

Because light moves at a finite speed, looking farther into the Universe means looking back in time. Astronomers have detected GRBs in extremely distant objects more than 13 billion light years away. It is believed that the very first stars formed when the Universe was between 200 and 400 million years old. The events that took place then were very powerful, with huge amounts of matter compacting into giant black holes, super heating the surrounding matter and forming quasars, the massive rotational centres of primitive galaxies. Our own galaxy probably evolved from events like these. We are seeing the echo’s of creation.

Fathom the Universe

Artist impression GRB shining through two young galaxies - credit: L. Calçada, ESO