What can a gamma-ray burst?

The intense radiation of most observed GRBs is thought to be released during a supernova or superluminous supernova as a high-mass star implodes to form a neutron star or a black hole.

What are the two known sources of gamma-ray bursts?

After being launched in 2004, NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory (previously called the Swift Gamma-Ray Burst Explorer) was finally able to record enough data to see the afterglow of short-lived gamma-ray bursts and figure out that they were likely caused when two ultradense stellar corpses known as neutron stars …

Where do gamma-ray bursts tend to come from?

So it seems that most gamma ray bursts originate in a narrow beam of intense radiation released during a supernova or hypernova as a rapidly rotating, high-mass star collapses to form a neutron star, quark star, or black hole.

What are gamma ray bursts made of?

One explanation proposes that they are the result of colliding neutron stars — corpses of massive stars (5 to 10 times the mass of our Sun) that have blown up as supernovae. A second theory proposes that gamma-ray bursts are the result of a merging between a neutron star and a black hole or between two black holes.

Can a gamma-ray burst hit Earth?

GRBs, as they’re called, are powerful events that release huge amounts of gamma rays. These are among the most deadly radiation known. The good news is that Earth being blasted by a GRB is a pretty unlikely event. That’s because these bursts occur so far away that the chances of being harmed by one are quite small.

What are gamma ray bursts how are they produced quizlet?

When two neutron stars collide to form a black hole they form an accretion disk of neutronium which generates two focused beams of energy which can show up as a GRB when viewed from Earth. Even extremely distant gamma ray bursts can be bright enough that they are visible from Earth with the naked eye.

Can a gamma-ray burst destroy the sun?

In this drawing, as the shell of gamma radiation (blue) from a gamma-ray burst passes across the Earth, it destroys the ozone layer, leaving life vulnerable to deadly solar ultraviolet radiation.

How gamma rays are produced?

Gamma rays originate from the settling process of an excited nucleus of a radionuclide after it undergoes radioactive decay whereas X-rays are produced when electrons strike a target or when electrons rearrange within an atom.

What is the origin of short gamma ray bursts quizlet?

Some gamma ray bursts have been found to originate with galaxies that are actively forming stars, and would thus have a few very massive (but short lived) stars.

What are the sources of gamma ray bursts?

The sources of most GRBs are billions of light years away from Earth, implying that the explosions are both extremely energetic (a typical burst releases as much energy in a few seconds as the Sun will in its entire 10-billion-year lifetime) and extremely rare (a few per galaxy per million years ).

What is a gamma-ray burst?

In gamma-ray astronomy, gamma-ray bursts ( GRBs) are extremely energetic explosions that have been observed in distant galaxies. They are the brightest electromagnetic events known to occur in the universe. Bursts can last from ten milliseconds to several hours. After an initial flash of gamma rays,…

What are gamma ray bursts and supernovae?

Gamma ray bursts ( GRB s) are the brightest electromagnetic blasts known to occur in the Universe, and can originate from the collapse of the most massive types of stars or from the collision of two neutron stars. Supernovae are stellar explosions that also can send harmful radiation hurtling towards Earth.

Why can gamma rays not be detected on Earth?

Because their energy is strongly focused, the gamma rays emitted by most bursts are expected to miss the Earth and never be detected. When a gamma-ray burst is pointed towards Earth, the focusing of its energy along a relatively narrow beam causes the burst to appear much brighter than it would have been were its energy emitted spherically.