Tag

Gamma Ray Bursts

All articles tagged with #gamma ray bursts

science19 days ago•3 min saved

Earth Endures Brightest Gamma-Ray Burst on Record

Earth was hit by GRB 221009A, the brightest gamma-ray burst ever measured, originating from a star about 2 billion light-years away. Detected by satellites including ESA’s Integral, the burst lasted ~800 seconds and disrupted Earth’s ionosphere for hours; CSES recorded strong electric-field variations near the top of the atmosphere. While such events are rare (statistically ~once every 10,000 years), researchers say studying this burst could shed light on high-energy cosmic processes and potential links to past mass extinction events, with follow-up analyses and missions planned.

via BBC Sky at Night Magazine|

#esa #gamma-ray-bursts #grb-221009a

space29 days ago•4 min saved

NASA's Swift Observatory Begins Its Final Descent Toward Reentry

NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, in space for 21 years, is on track to reenter Earth's atmosphere. After a failed attempt to rescue the aging satellite with the LINK probe, Swift's telescopes are being revived for a last round of observations as atmospheric drag increases, with the Burst Alert Telescope still powered down. Over its mission, Swift has monitored gamma-ray bursts, supernovas, and black holes across multiple wavelengths; engineers aim to maximize data collection during the final descent, which could occur by the end of the year as the satellite burns up.

via wired.com|

#gamma-ray-bursts #nasa #satellites

space1 month ago•1 min saved

Milky Way’s Outer Arms Found Farther Than Thought, Reshaping Galactic Models

Astronomers used geometric distances to dust clouds in the Milky Way's spiral arms by studying expanding X-ray rings created by distant gamma-ray bursts, capturing light echoes with Chandra and XMM-Newton. The measurements confirm the Perseus Arm's distance but show the Outer Arm and Outer Scutum–Centaurus Arm lie up to about 10% farther away than previously thought, a result that could revise galactic models. The method is direct, relying on geometry rather than rotation assumptions, though it depends on rare gamma-ray bursts and may not be widely applicable soon.

via BBC Sky at Night Magazine|

#distance-measurements #gamma-ray-bursts #milky-way

space1 month ago•6 min saved

NASA Aborts Rescue for Aging Swift Telescope as Reentry Looms

NASA canceled its planned rescue of the aging Swift gamma-ray observatory after the LINK spacecraft suffered attitude-control failures; the mission would have used robotic arms to capture Swift and raise it to a safer orbit, but ongoing control-system problems forced cancellation. With Swift losing altitude due to atmospheric drag, reentry is expected before the end of 2026, while LINK will continue rendezvous demonstrations to inform future satellite-servicing efforts.

via WIRED|

#gamma-ray-bursts #link-spacecraft #orbital-reentry

space2 months ago•130 min saved

Global telescope network captures earliest moments of a distant supernova in unprecedented detail

A network of ground- and space-based telescopes, including the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, captured the first moments and subsequent evolution of a Type Ic broad‑lined supernova roughly 500 million light-years away. The observations detail the shock breakout and early light with unprecedented clarity, and follow-up studies found no accompanying gamma-ray bursts, suggesting a possible choked jet. Researchers mapped the star’s pre‑explosion environment around a Wolf‑Rayet progenitor, and Rubin’s continued, high-cadence monitoring will provide long-term data on this event and many future supernovas.

via livescience.com|

#gamma-ray-bursts #ic-bl #shock-breakout

science2 months ago•2 min saved

LINK's Spin Complicates NASA's Swift Rescue Mission

NASA's LINK servicing spacecraft, built by Katalyst Space Technologies, is grappling with attitude-control issues after two of its three reaction wheels failed, causing it to spin and experience intermittent communications as engineers work to stabilize it. LINK is intended to rendezvous with the aging Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory to nudge it into a safer, higher orbit and extend Swift's life, since Swift has about a 50% chance of uncontrolled reentry by mid-2026. NASA paused on-board science on Swift to buy time, and future plans depend on LINK's health and updated guidance and propulsion to approach and capture Swift if feasible.

via Gizmodo|

#gamma-ray-bursts #link #nasa

space2 months ago•130 min saved

Link Servicer Eyes Rescue of Swift Observatory, but Itself Faces Troubles

NASA launched the LINK servicing spacecraft to rendezvous with the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory in low Earth orbit to grab and boost the aging satellite and extend its life. LINK is already experiencing attitude-control issues (two of its three reaction wheels are not working) and a thruster problem, so engineers will use its electric propulsion to stop spinning and then attempt to capture Swift with robotic arms to lift it to a higher orbit. Swift, launched in 2004 for gamma-ray-burst science, has a decaying orbit and cannot boost itself; the Swift Boost mission cost about $30 million, versus Swift’s $250 million price tag. If successful, Swift’s life is extended; if not, NASA will reassess.

via Space|

#gamma-ray-bursts #link-spacecraft #nasa

space2 months ago•2 min saved

NASA’s Swift Rescue Plan Spirals Into Trouble

NASA’s high‑risk plan to save the aging Swift gamma‑ray observatory with a space tug called LINK has hit a snag: LINK began tumbling after launch due to two failed reaction wheels and partial thruster loss, leaving ground teams scrambling to regain attitude control and maintain communications. If unresolved, Swift’s orbit could decay and it may burn up in coming months, despite the $30 million mission being pursued as a bold but valuable test.

via Futurism|

#attitude-control #gamma-ray-bursts #nasa

space2 months ago•5 min saved

Reaction wheel woes push Swift rescue mission into a spin

NASA and Katalyst’s Link rescue satellite are grappling with attitude-control problems after launch, with two of Link’s three reaction wheels inoperable and partial loss of its cold gas thruster, causing the craft to spin and suffer intermittent communications. Engineers are repurposing the electric thrusters to stabilize Link’s attitude and plan revised rendezvous with NASA’s Swift gamma-ray observatory to extend its life and test commercial satellite servicing, a high-stakes tech demonstration that aims to prevent Swift’s reentry.

via Ars Technica|

#attitude-control #gamma-ray-bursts #nasa

space3 months ago•93 min saved

Milky Way could be bigger and more lopsided after new arm measurements

New gamma-ray burst echoes mapped two of the Milky Way’s largest spiral arms, suggesting they’re about 10% farther from Earth than previously thought. The finding implies the galaxy may be wider and more massive, with asymmetry in its shape, prompting scientists to revisit estimates of the Milky Way’s size and mass.

via Live Science|

#astronomy #galaxy #gamma-ray-bursts

space3 months ago•104 min saved

Milky Way Could Be Bigger and Wider Than Previously Thought

New measurements from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and ESA’s XMM-Newton suggest the Milky Way’s spiral arms extend about 10% farther and are roughly 3,500 light-years wider than previously estimated, based on X-ray echoes from gamma-ray bursts reflecting off dust in three arms (Perseus, Outer, and Outer Scutum–Centaurus). This direct geometric approach could revise our understanding of the galaxy’s mass distribution, rotation, and overall structure, though gamma-ray bursts are rare and the data come from only a handful of usable events.

via Space|

#galactic-mass-distribution #gamma-ray-bursts #milky-way

science3 months ago•3 min saved

Milky Way Arms Extend Further Than Previously Thought

Astronomers used light echoes from gamma-ray bursts observed by NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and ESA’s XMM-Newton to geometrically measure distances to dust clouds in the Milky Way’s spiral arms, finding the Outer and Outer Scutum-Centaurus arms are about 10% farther away than previously thought; the method could revise estimates of the Milky Way’s mass and arm structure, with the most distant arm’s dust cloud about 3,500 light-years thick and only a handful of usable GRBs observed over 25 years.

via Gizmodo|

#astronomy #dust-clouds #gamma-ray-bursts

space3 months ago•23 min saved

Milky Way's Outer Spiral Arms Extend Further Than Thought, Say X-Ray Echoes

Astronomers used X-ray echoes from rare gamma-ray bursts observed by NASA’s Chandra and ESA’s XMM-Newton to geometrically measure dust rings in the Milky Way’s spiral arms, finding the outer arms extend farther than previously known (one distant dust cloud about 3,500 light-years across). This geometry-based method, not dependent on the galaxy’s rotation, could prompt revisions to estimates of the Milky Way’s mass and structure, though its data are limited by the rarity of bright gamma-ray bursts.

via New York Post|

#astronomy #chandra #dust

science3 months ago•28 min saved

Swift Observatory Rescued: Private Link Craft Boosts Orbital Altitude to Avert Reentry

NASA and private contractor Katalyst Space Technologies launched an emergency mission to save the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory from burning up in Earth’s atmosphere, sending the Link servicing spacecraft to intercept Swift and raise its orbit by about 150 miles (from roughly 224 miles) in a nine‑month, $30 million effort to preserve the $500 million gamma‑ray‑burst observatory.

via The Verge|

#gamma-ray-bursts #katalyst-space-technologies #nasa

science3 months ago•4 min saved

Milky Way's spiral arms stretch farther into space, new measurements show

Astronomers using X-ray data from NASA’s Chandra and ESA’s XMM-Newton measure dust-ring geometry created by distant gamma-ray bursts to map the Milky Way’s outer spiral arms, finding the arm in the far reaches is about 3,500 light-years wide and implying a potential update to the Galaxy’s size and mass; the method offers a geometry-based alternative to rotation-based estimates but relies on rare bright bursts, so more observations are needed.

via Fox News|

#chandra-x-ray-observatory #gamma-ray-bursts #milky-way