The most powerful gamma-ray burst in history gave birth to a black hole and trapped Earth despite being 2.4bn light years away

On 9 October 2022, the most powerful gamma-ray burst in history was recorded. The burst was labelled GRB 221009A and perturbed the upper part of our planet's ionosphere, something that has never happened before.

Here's What We Know

Scientists were able to find a link between the gamma-ray burst and the reaction of Earth's ionosphere more than 40 years ago. The flash sent towards our planet a stream of high-energy particles that perturbed the electromagnetic field.

Similar cases have been recorded repeatedly, but not above 350 kilometres. But the gamma-ray burst GRB 221009A shook the ionosphere of the Earth at a height of about 500 km. The burst lasted 7 minutes, but the disturbance of the electromagnetic field lasted for several hours.

The GRB 221009A event occurred at a distance of about 2.4 billion light years from our planet. Scientists believe the outburst was the result of a supernova explosion and the birth of a black hole. The outburst blinded all Earth-based telescopes except China's GECAM-C as it was undergoing maintenance.

Source: Science Alert