Unprecedented Gamma Ray Burst Leaves Astronomers Baffled
Astronomers have recorded the brightest gamma ray burst ever seen, which occurred on October 9, 2022, and was about 70 times brighter than anything recorded previously. The burst, known as GRB 221009A, is likely the brightest burst at X-ray and gamma-ray energies to occur since human civilization began. Gamma ray bursts are the biggest explosions in the universe and are thought to occur when massive stars collide or die and give way to black holes. The recent burst was so bright that most gamma-ray instruments in space couldn’t measure its true intensity.