Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                               2022 October 15
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                                 GRB 221009A
          Image Credit: [3]NASA, [4]DOE, [5]Fermi LAT Collaboration

   Explanation: [6]Gamma-ray burst GRB 221009A likely signals the birth of
   a new black hole, formed at the core of a collapsing star long ago in
   the distant universe. The extremely powerful blast is depicted in this
   animated gif constructed using data from the [7]Fermi Gamma Ray Space
   Telescope. Fermi captured the data at gamma-ray energies, detecting
   photons with over 100 million electron volts. In comparison visible
   light photons have energies of about 2 electron volts. A steady,
   [8]high energy gamma-ray glow from the plane of our Milky Way galaxy
   runs diagonally through the [9]20 degree wide frame at the left, while
   the transient gamma-ray flash from GRB 221009A appears at center and
   then fades. One of the brightest gamma-ray bursts ever detected GRB
   221009A is also close as far as gamma-ray bursts go, but still lies
   about 2 billion light-years away. In low Earth orbit Fermi's Large Area
   Telescope recorded gamma-ray photons from the burst for more than 10
   hours as high-energy radiation from GRB 221009A [10]swept over planet
   Earth last Sunday, October 9.

                      Tomorrow's picture: barred spiral
     __________________________________________________________________

      [11]< | [12]Archive | [13]Submissions | [14]Index | [15]Search |
   [16]Calendar | [17]RSS | [18]Education | [19]About APOD | [20]Discuss |
                                    [21]>
     __________________________________________________________________

    Authors & editors: [22]Robert Nemiroff ([23]MTU) & [24]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([25]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Phillip Newman [26]Specific rights apply.
              [27]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                A service of: [28]ASD at [29]NASA / [30]GSFC,
                         [31]NASA Science Activation
                           & [32]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2210/LAT_221009A_burst_opt_1080.gif
   3. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/GLAST/main/index.html
   4. http://www.energy.gov/
   5. http://www-glast.stanford.edu/
   6. https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2022/nasa-s-swift-fermi-missions-detect-exceptional-cosmic-blast
   7. https://www.nasa.gov/content/fermi-gamma-ray-space-telescope
   8. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap131206.html
   9. https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14227
  10. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/gamma/milkyway.html
  11. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap221014.html
  12. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  15. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  20. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=221015
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap221016.html
  22. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  23. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  24. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  25. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  27. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  28. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  29. https://www.nasa.gov/
  30. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  31. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  32. http://www.mtu.edu/