GRB 080319B

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GRB 080319B
GRB 080319B.jpg
The afterglow of GRB 080319B imaged by Swift's X-ray Telescope (left) and Optical/Ultraviolet Telescope (right)
Event type Gamma-ray burst   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Unknown
DateSwift Burst Alert Telescope (BAT)
March 19, 2008
Duration50 seconds
Constellation Boötes
Right ascension 14h 31m 40.98s [1]
Declination +36° 18' 8.8''
Epoch J2000
Distance7.5  billion light-years (2.3  Gpc)
z=0.937
Redshift 0.94
RemnantUnknown
ProgenitorUnknown
Progenitor typeUnknown
Colour (B-V)Unknown
Peak apparent magnitude 5.3
Other designationsGRB 080319B
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GRB 080319B was a gamma-ray burst (GRB) detected by the Swift satellite at 06:12 UTC on March 19, 2008. The burst set a new record for the farthest object that was observable with the naked eye: [2] it had a peak visual apparent magnitude of 5.7 and remained visible to human eyes for approximately 30 seconds. [3] The magnitude was brighter than 9.0 for approximately 60 seconds. [4] If viewed from 1 AU away, it would have had a peak apparent magnitude of −67.57 (21 quadrillion times brighter than the Sun seen from Earth). It had an absolute magnitude of −38.6, [5] beaten by GRB 220101A with −39.4 in 2023. [6] [7]

Contents

Overview

ESO artist's impression of gamma-ray burst GRB 080319B The Double Firing Burst.jpg
ESO artist's impression of gamma-ray burst GRB 080319B

The GRB's redshift was measured to be 0.937, [8] which means that the explosion occurred about 7.5 billion (7.5×109) years ago (the lookback time), and it took the light that long to reach Earth. This is roughly half the time since the Big Bang. [2] The first scientific paper submitted on the event suggested that the GRB could have easily been seen to a redshift of 16 (essentially to the time in the universe when stars were just being formed, well into the age of reionization) from a sub-meter sized telescope equipped with near-infrared filters. [9]

The afterglow of the burst set a new record for the "most intrinsically bright object ever observed by humans in the universe", [2] 2.5 million times brighter than the brightest supernova to date, SN 2005ap. [10]

Evidence suggests that the afterglow was particularly bright because its gamma jet pointed directly at Earth. This allowed an unprecedented examination of the jet structure, which appears to have consisted of a narrowly focused cone and a wider secondary one. If this is the norm for GRB jets, it follows that most GRB detections only capture the fainter wide cone, which means that most distant GRBs are too faint to detect with current telescopes. This would imply that GRBs are a far more common phenomenon than so far assumed. [11]

A record for the number of observed bursts with the same satellite on one day, four, was also set. This burst was named with the suffix B since it was the second burst detected that day. There were five GRBs detected in a 24-hour period, including GRB 080320. [12]

Until this gamma-ray burst event, the galaxy M83, at a distance of about 15 million light years, was the most distant object visible to the naked eye, albeit only under excellent conditions. The galaxy remains the most distant permanent object viewable without aid. [2]

The plot below shows the brightness in both the optical wavelengths and at higher energy for the event. The first optical exposure started about 2 seconds before the source was first observed by the SWIFT telescope and lasted for 10 seconds. The emission in both curves then peaks at around 15–30 seconds before a long exponential decay.

Brightness curve for GRB 080319B in optical wavelengths (black curve) and at higher energies (gray) Grb080319B flux curve.jpg
Brightness curve for GRB 080319B in optical wavelengths (black curve) and at higher energies (gray)

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gamma-ray burst</span> Flashes of gamma rays from distant galaxies

In gamma-ray astronomy, gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are immensely energetic explosions that have been observed in distant galaxies, being the brightest and most extreme explosive events in the entire universe, as NASA describes the bursts as the "most powerful class of explosions in the universe". They are the most energetic and luminous electromagnetic events since the Big Bang. Gamma-ray bursts can last from ten milliseconds to several hours. After the initial flash of gamma rays, an "afterglow" is emitted, which is longer lived and usually emitted at longer wavelengths.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory</span> NASA satellite of the Explorer program

Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, previously called the Swift Gamma-Ray Burst Explorer, is a NASA three-telescope space observatory for studying gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) and monitoring the afterglow in X-ray, and UV/Visible light at the location of a burst. It was launched on 20 November 2004, aboard a Delta II launch vehicle. Headed by principal investigator Neil Gehrels until his death in February 2017, the mission was developed in a joint partnership between Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) and an international consortium from the United States, United Kingdom, and Italy. The mission is operated by Pennsylvania State University as part of NASA's Medium Explorer program (MIDEX).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GRB 970228</span> Gamma-ray burst detected on 28 Feb 1997, the first for which an afterglow was observed

GRB 970228 was the first gamma-ray burst (GRB) for which an afterglow was observed. It was detected on 28 February 1997 at 02:58 UTC. Since 1993, physicists had predicted GRBs to be followed by a lower-energy afterglow, but until this event, GRBs had only been observed in highly luminous bursts of high-energy gamma rays ; this resulted in large positional uncertainties which left their nature very unclear.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GRB 080916C</span> Most powerful gamma-ray burst ever recorded (1/15/21)

GRB 080916C is a gamma-ray burst (GRB) that was recorded on September 16, 2008, in the Carina constellation and detected by NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. The burst lasted for 23 minutes. It is one of the most extreme gamma-ray bursts ever recorded, and was the most energetic gamma-ray burst ever recorded, until GRB 221009A was recorded in 2022. The explosion had the energy of approximately 9000 type Ia supernovae if the emission was isotropically emitted, and the gas jets emitting the initial gamma rays moved at a minimum velocity of approximately 299,792,158 m/s, making this blast one of the most extreme recorded.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gamma-Ray Burst Optical/Near-Infrared Detector</span>

The Gamma-Ray Burst Optical/Near-Infrared Detector (GROND) is an imaging instrument used to investigate Gamma-Ray Burst afterglows and for doing follow-up observations on exoplanets using transit photometry. It is operated at the 2.2-metre MPG/ESO telescope at ESO's La Silla Observatory in the southern part of the Atacama desert, about 600 kilometres north of Santiago de Chile and at an altitude of 2,400 metres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GRB 970508</span> Gamma-ray burst detected on May 8, 1997

GRB 970508 was a gamma-ray burst (GRB) detected on May 8, 1997, at 21:42 UTC; it is historically important as the second GRB with a detected afterglow at other wavelengths, the first to have a direct redshift measurement of the afterglow, and the first to be detected at radio wavelengths.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GRB 090423</span> Gamma-ray burst detected in 2009

GRB 090423 was a gamma-ray burst (GRB) detected by the Swift Gamma-Ray Burst Mission on April 23, 2009, at 07:55:19 UTC whose afterglow was detected in the infrared and enabled astronomers to determine that its redshift is z = 8.2, making it one of the most distant objects detected at that time with a spectroscopic redshift.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beethoven Burst (GRB 991216)</span> Gamma-ray burst in constellation Orion

GRB 991216, nicknamed the Beethoven Burst by Dr. Brad Schaefer of Yale University, was a gamma-ray burst observed on December 16, 1999, coinciding with the 229th anniversary of Ludwig van Beethoven's birth. A gamma-ray burst is a highly luminous flash associated with an explosion in a distant galaxy and producing gamma rays, the most energetic form of electromagnetic radiation, and often followed by a longer-lived "afterglow" emitted at longer wavelengths.

GRB 000131 was a gamma-ray burst (GRB) that was detected on 31 January 2000 at 14:59 UTC. A gamma-ray burst is a highly luminous flash associated with an explosion in a distant galaxy and producing gamma rays, the most energetic form of electromagnetic radiation, and often followed by a longer-lived "afterglow" emitted at longer wavelengths.

GRB 011211 was a gamma-ray burst (GRB) detected on December 11, 2001. A gamma-ray burst is a highly luminous flash associated with an explosion in a distant galaxy and producing gamma rays, the most energetic form of electromagnetic radiation, and often followed by a longer-lived "afterglow" emitted at longer wavelengths.

GRB 030329 was a gamma-ray burst (GRB) that was detected on 29 March 2003 at 11:37 UTC. A gamma-ray burst is a highly luminous flash associated with an explosion in a distant galaxy and producing gamma rays, the most energetic form of electromagnetic radiation, and often followed by a longer-lived "afterglow" emitted at longer wavelengths. GRB 030329 was the first burst whose afterglow definitively exhibited characteristics of a supernova, confirming the existence of a relationship between the two phenomena.

GRB 070714B was a gamma-ray burst (GRB) that was detected on 14 July 2007 at 04:59 UTC. A gamma-ray burst is a highly luminous flash associated with an explosion in a distant galaxy and producing gamma rays, the most energetic form of electromagnetic radiation, and often followed by a longer-lived "afterglow" emitted at longer wavelengths.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GRB 090429B</span> Gamma-ray burst in constellation Canes Venatici

GRB 090429B was a gamma-ray burst observed on 29 April 2009 by the Burst Alert Telescope aboard the Swift satellite. The burst triggered a standard burst-response observation sequence, which started 106 seconds after the burst. The X-ray telescope aboard the satellite identified an uncatalogued fading source. No optical or UV counterpart was seen in the UV–optical telescope. Around 2.5 hours after the burst trigger, a series of observations was carried out by the Gemini North telescope, which detected a bright object in the infrared part of the spectrum. No evidence of a host galaxy was found either by Gemini North or by the Hubble Space Telescope. Though this burst was detected in 2009, it was not until May 2011 that its distance estimate of 13.14 billion light-years was announced. With 90% likelihood, the burst had a photometric redshift greater than z = 9.06, which would make it the most distant GRB known, although the error bar on this estimate is large, providing a lower limit of z > 7.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kilonova</span> Neutron star merger

A kilonova is a transient astronomical event that occurs in a compact binary system when two neutron stars or a neutron star and a black hole merge. These mergers are thought to produce gamma-ray bursts and emit bright electromagnetic radiation, called "kilonovae", due to the radioactive decay of heavy r-process nuclei that are produced and ejected fairly isotropically during the merger process. The measured high sphericity of the kilonova AT2017gfo at early epochs was deduced from the blackbody nature of its spectrum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Space Variable Objects Monitor</span> Small X-ray telescope satellite

The Space Variable Objects Monitor (SVOM) is a small X-ray telescope satellite developed by China National Space Administration (CNSA), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the French Space Agency (CNES), launched on 22 June 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GRB 160625B</span>

GRB 160625B was a bright gamma-ray burst (GRB) detected by NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope on 25 June 2016 and, three minutes later, by the Large Area Telescope. This was followed by a bright prompt optical flash, during which variable linear polarization was measured. This was the first time that these observations were made when the GRB was still bright and active. The source of the GRB was a possible black hole, within the Delphinus constellation, about 9 billion light-years (light travel distance) away (a redshift of z = 1.406). It had a fluence of 5.7×10−4 erg cm−2, and energy of 5 × 1054 erg. The burst lasted over 11 minutes (680 s), and is one of the most energetic bursts ever recorded.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gamma-ray burst precursor</span> Event that occurs before gamma-ray bursts

A gamma-ray precursor is a short X-ray outburst event that comes before the main outburst of the gamma-ray burst progenitor. There is no consensus on the mechanism for this event, although several theories have been suggested.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GRB 190114C</span> Notable high energy gamma ray burst explosion

GRB 190114C was an extreme gamma-ray burst explosion from a galaxy 4.5 billion light years away (z=0.4245; magnitude=15.60est) near the Fornax constellation, that was initially detected in January 2019. The afterglow light emitted soon after the burst was found to be tera-electron volt radiation from inverse Compton emission, identified for the first time. According to the astronomers, "We observed a huge range of frequencies in the electromagnetic radiation afterglow of GRB 190114C. It is the most extensive to date for a gamma-ray burst." Also, according to other astronomers, "light detected from the object had the highest energy ever observed for a GRB: 1 Tera electron volt (TeV) -- about one trillion times as much energy per photon as visible light"; another source stated, "the brightest light ever seen from Earth [to date].".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GRB 221009A</span> Gamma-ray burst

GRB 221009A was an extraordinarily bright and very energetic gamma-ray burst (GRB) jointly discovered by the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory and the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope on October 9, 2022. The gamma-ray burst was ten minutes long, but was detectable for more than ten hours following initial detection. Despite being around 2.4 billion light-years away, it was powerful enough to affect Earth's atmosphere, having the strongest effect ever recorded by a gamma-ray burst on the planet. The peak luminosity of GRB 221009A was measured by Konus-Wind to be ~ 2.1 × 1047 W and by Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor to be ~ 1.0 × 1047 W over its 1.024s interval. A burst as energetic and as close to Earth as 221009A is thought to be a once-in-10,000-year event. It was the brightest and most energetic gamma-ray burst ever recorded, with some dubbing it the BOAT, or Brightest Of All Time.

References

  1. "Gamma Ray Burst Coordinates Network". NASA. March 19, 2008. Archived from the original on March 30, 2016. Retrieved March 21, 2008.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "NASA Satellite Detects Naked-Eye Explosion Halfway Across Universe". NASA. March 21, 2008. Archived from the original on March 3, 2012. Retrieved March 21, 2008.
  3. "Pi of the Sky observation of GRB080319B the brightest ever gamma-ray burst". Pi of the Sky. March 21, 2008. Archived from the original on March 9, 2016. Retrieved March 21, 2008.
  4. "GRB 080319B light curve". vo.astronet.ru. April 1, 2008. Archived from the original on December 19, 2008. Retrieved April 5, 2008.
  5. Woźniak, P. R.; Vestrand, W. T.; Panaitescu, A. D.; Wren, J. A.; Davis, H. R.; White, R. R. (2009). "Gamma-Ray Burst at the Extreme: "The Naked-Eye Burst" GRB 080319B". The Astrophysical Journal. 691 (1): 495–502. arXiv: 0810.2481 . Bibcode:2009ApJ...691..495W. doi: 10.1088/0004-637X/691/1/495 . ISSN   0004-637X.
  6. Jin, Zhi-Ping; Zhou, Hao; Wang, Yun; Geng, Jin-Jun; Covino, Stefano; Wu, Xue-Feng; Li, Xiang; Fan, Yi-Zhong; Wei, Da-Ming; Wei, Jian-Yan (June 26, 2023). "An optical–ultraviolet flare with absolute AB magnitude of −39.4 detected in GRB 220101A". Nature Astronomy. 7 (9): 1108–1115. arXiv: 2301.02407 . Bibcode:2023NatAs...7.1108J. doi:10.1038/s41550-023-02005-w. ISSN   2397-3366. S2CID   259720877.
  7. "400 Quadrillion Times Brighter Than the Sun – Scientists Detect Most Energetic Ultraviolet/Optical Flare Ever". SciTechDaily. September 14, 2023. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
  8. "VLT/UVES redshift of GRB 080319B". March 19, 2008. Archived from the original on April 15, 2008. Retrieved March 25, 2008.
  9. J. S. Bloom; Perley; Li; Butler; Miller; Kocevski; Kann; Foley; Chen (2009). "Observations of the Naked-Eye GRB 080319B: Implications of Nature's Brightest Explosion". The Astrophysical Journal. 691 (1): 723–737. arXiv: 0803.3215 . Bibcode:2009ApJ...691..723B. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/691/1/723. S2CID   16440948.
  10. Schilling, Govert (March 21, 2008). "Universe's most powerful blast visible to the naked eye". New Scientist . Archived from the original on August 2, 2013. Retrieved August 28, 2017.
  11. Courtland, Rachel (September 10, 2008). "Brightest gamma-ray burst was aimed at Earth". New Scientist. Archived from the original on January 14, 2010. Retrieved August 28, 2017.
  12. "OLDER Swift Burst Ground-Analysis Information: 2008". GCN. March 4, 2009. Archived from the original on March 18, 2012. Retrieved April 17, 2011.

Citations

Database references