Gamma-ray burst leaves ephemeral afterglow. (Astronomy).A ground-based telescope on automatic pilot has recorded the visible-light afterglow of a gamma-ray burst less than 2 minutes after the eruption. One of the most energetic flashes of radiation known in the universe, gamma-ray bursts seem to be generated when a massive star collapses on itself and becomes a black hole or when a black hole merges with a superdense su·per·dense adj. Of or relating to an extreme condition in which matter is forced into nonclassical states, as when electrons are forced into protons, leaving only neutrons, or the matter is compressed beyond this point into a singularity. neutron star. The telescope started taking pictures just 108 seconds after the burst was detected by the High Energy Transient Explorer The High Energy Transient Explorer (abbreviated HETE) is an American astronomical satellite with international participation (mainly Japan and France). The prime objective of HETE is to carry out the first multiwavelength study of gamma-ray bursts with UV, X-ray, and (HETE)-2 spacecraft. The ground-based device, the Katzman Automatic Imaging Telescope The Katzman Automatic Imaging Telescope (KAIT) is an automated telescope used in the search for supernovae. The KAIT is a computer-controlled reflecting telescope with a 76 cm mirror and a CCD camera to take pictures. in Santa Cruz, Calif., traced the afterglow for more than 2.5 hours, until dawn halted observations. "For the first time, we have really good data showing the early time afterglow from a gamma-ray burst and the transition to late-time decline," says Alex Filippenko of the University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley is a public research university located in Berkeley, California, United States. Commonly referred to as UC Berkeley, Berkeley and Cal . His team reported the findings Jan. 9 at a meeting of the American Astronomical Society The American Astronomical Society (AAS, sometimes pronounced "double-A-S") is a US society of professional astronomers and other interested individuals, headquartered in Washington, DC. in Seattle. HETE-2 detected the 2.5-second gamma-ray burst on Dec. 11, 2002. Just 34 seconds later, the craft put out an e-mail alert. Although another ground-based telescope, dubbed RAPTOR (Rapid Telescopes for Optical Response), recorded the afterglow 43 seconds earlier than the Katzman telescope did, RAPTOR acquired only a single, short exposure. Because this afterglow was so transient, it may shed light on so-called dark gamma-ray bursts, which don't seem to have visible-light components, Filippenko says. Perhaps visible emanations "Emanations" is the ninth episode of . Plot Voyager detects the signature of an as-yet undiscovered heavy element within the ring system of a planet and organise an away team to investigate the cavern systems of one of the rocks. fade away before most telescopes have a chance to record them, he suggests.--R.C. |
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