The largest gamma-ray burst in history occurred 2 billion years ago and recently dazzled every telescope in the world except the chinese one - an event that happens once every 10,000 years

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has recorded the most powerful gamma-ray burst in history. The event GRB 221009A has been nicknamed BOAT (The brightest of all time).

Here's What We Know

The event was recorded on October 9, 2022. The brightest gamma-ray burst has blinded all but one telescope on Earth and in space. GRB 221009A is thought to be 1000 times more intense than typical gamma-ray bursts and was 70 times more powerful than the previous record-breaker.

Scientists estimate that such outbursts occur about once every 10,000 years. The researchers have recorded a total of 12,000 gamma-ray bursts over the entire observation period.

Information about GRB 221009A was obtained by China's GECAM-C orbiting telescope. It was able to steady itself in front of the flare as almost all sensors were switched off. If you draw a parallel, it's like squinting and looking at the Sun.

Scientists say that the beam turned out to be very narrow - 0.7 degrees with a normal value of 5 degrees. This information will update models for the study of supernovae that turn into black holes, as these processes are accompanied by gamma-ray bursts.

While GRB 221009A is the brightest of the bursts, it has not been the most violent in terms of energy release. This may seem counterintuitive, but for us the flare was the brightest because it was directed towards the Earth. By the way, the gamma-ray burst itself occurred 2 billion years ago.

Source: NASA