Brightest Light Ever Recorded in Space Seen 2.4bn Light Years Away, Triggered by Black Hole Formation

Good thing it wasn’t in our galaxy…. I assume that would have been pretty bad for us.

TL;DR

Astronomers have observed the brightest gamma-ray burst ever detected, originating from a dying star in the constellation Sagitta. The burst, labeled GRB 221009A, emitted photons carrying a staggering 18 teraelectronvolts of energy, disrupting radio communications on Earth. This gamma-ray burst is believed to result from a massive star collapsing into a black hole, ejecting jets of energy at nearly the speed of light. The event provides rare insights into black hole formation and supernova explosions, with scientists continuing to track the afterglow to confirm the supernova theory.

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The burst of gamma-rays, which is the most powerful type of electromagnetic radiation, was first observed by space telescopes on October 9, 2022 and scientists worldwide are still tracking its afterglow.

Astrophysicist Brendan O’Connor explained to AFP that gamma-ray bursts lasting for hundreds of seconds, are believed to result from dying stars over 30 times the size of our Sun.

In this scenario, the star explodes as a supernova, collapses into a black hole, and matter forms a disk around the black hole, eventually falling in and being ejected in a jet of energy traveling at 99.99 percent the speed of light.

The burst emitted photons carrying a record-breaking 18 teraelectronvolts of energy—that’s 18 followed by 12 zeros—which has impacted long-wave radio communications in Earth’s ionosphere. “It’s breaking records in both the number of photons and the energy of the photons reaching us,” said O’Connor, who used infrared instruments on the Gemini South telescope in Chile for new observations.

“An event this bright and this close is really a once-in-a-century occurrence,” he said. “Gamma-ray bursts typically release the same amount of energy in a few seconds that our Sun will produce over its entire lifetime—and this event is the brightest one ever recorded.”

The gamma-ray burst, labeled GRB 221009A, was first detected by telescopes including NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, and the Wind spacecraft.

A 1.9 billion-year-old occurrence It originated from the constellation Sagitta and took around 1.9 billion years to reach Earth—less than its current distance because the universe is expanding. Watching this event now is like witnessing a 1.9 billion-year-old recording, offering astronomers a rare chance to gain new insights into processes such as black hole formation.

“That’s what makes this kind of science so addictive—you get an adrenaline rush when these things happen,” said O’Connor, who is associated with both the University of Maryland and George Washington University.

He also noted that while the initial burst may have been visible to lucky amateur astronomers, it has since dimmed beyond their view. O’Connor and his team will continue to monitor for signs of a supernova at optical and infrared wavelengths to confirm their theory about the flash’s origins and verify that the event aligns with established physics.

Unfortunately, while the burst may have been visible initially to amateur astronomers, it has now faded. Supernova explosions are also believed to be responsible for creating heavy elements like gold, platinum, and uranium, and astronomers will search for these markers as well.

Astrophysicists have previously speculated that the immense energy from gamma-ray bursts could trigger extinction events on Earth. However, O’Connor stressed that since the energy jets are highly focused and are unlikely to occur in our galaxy, this isn’t something we should be overly concerned about.