Facts for Prelims
Source: DTE
Context: Astronomers recorded the brightest gamma-ray radiation ever in October 2022, causing disruptions in radio signals on Earth and cutting across our solar system.
- The radiation pulse, named GRB 221009A, was a birth cry of a black hole and lasted five minutes.
The observation challenges the theory of how GRB jets produce light. The observation has shown unexpected behaviour in the radio signals from the afterglow of the burst, which may indicate a completely new emission component.
What are GRBs?
GRBs are a very bright and powerful explosion of gamma rays, the most energetic form of light. Most GRBs are caused by massive stars collapsing into black holes or by the merging of two neutron stars.
Significance: They are important to study because they can give us insights into the early universe and the processes that drive the most powerful explosions in the cosmos.
Related News:
As per a recent observation, a supermassive black hole (hundreds of thousands to billions of times the Sun’s mass) has changed its direction and is directly facing toward the Earth. A black hole is a region of spacetime where gravity is so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape from it.
