A gamma-ray burst may have melted primordial dust grains, seeding the formation of meteorites and rocky planets like Earth. The theory suggests that only one Sun-like star in a thousand would be close enough to form chondrules.
The High Energy Transmission Grating Spectrometer has made the most precise measurements ever recorded of a star's corona, revealing new insights into stellar behavior. The instrument's success marks a major milestone for modern astronomy, enabling scientists to study the chemical composition and temperature of the corona with unpreced...
Dr. Colleen Wilson-Hodge, a NASA astrophysicist, has discovered two new X-ray pulsars using the Burst and Transient Source Experiment on NASA's Compton Gamma Ray Observatory. The pulsars are powered by accretion of material from companion stars and have strong gravity that pulls matter toward their surfaces.
Astronomers have detected the brightest optical celestial object ever recorded using a low-cost, automated telescope built from recycled lenses and hardware. The ROTSE-1 telescope captured optical emissions from a gamma ray burst while it was still arriving, providing new insights into the phenomenon.
Researchers and scientists can now access the germanium (Ge) Gamma-Ray Spectrum Catalogue and a version of Heath's sodium iodide NaI(TI) Gamma-Ray Spectrum Catalogue online. The catalogues have been updated with new features, including replotted spectra, color coding, and zooming capabilities.
Researchers found a direct correlation between the pattern of X-ray emission and the size of supernova remnants. Larger remnants exhibit brighter X-ray emission from their centers, suggesting changes in gas distribution as they age.
A new pulsar has been discovered orbiting a massive star, providing insights into the mysterious behavior of transient objects. The pulsar, named XTE J1946+274 or GRO J1944+26, exhibits complex orbital patterns and intense magnetic fields, challenging our understanding of these enigmatic celestial bodies.
A rapidly spinning neutron star can naturally produce a Gamma-ray burst by oscillating and radiating its rotation energy. The spin-down process is triggered by the gravitational wave instability, which grows explosively in hours or minutes, strengthening the magnetic field and eventually radiating away all remaining rotation energy.
A team of scientists has discovered a young and previously unknown supernova remnant located just 700 light years away from the Vela supernova remnant. The remnant is exceptionally close to Earth, with an age of at most 1500 years, making it the nearest supernova remnant to have occurred during recent human history.
Researchers develop a novel microwave imaging technology to detect breast tumors without X-ray radiation, potentially reducing mortality rates. The technology uses microwaves to detect differences in water content between malignant and benign tumors.
Recent study examines over 100 gamma-ray bursts, finds no evidence supporting synchrotron shock model. Researchers analyze low-energy spectra to determine burst causes.
Brown dwarf Cha Ha 1 is the youngest known member of the Chamaeleon dark cloud, with a mass of 4-5% of the Sun's mass and an age of one million years. Its X-ray emission was detected using the ROSAT satellite.
A powerful gamma-ray and X-ray burst from a distant star caused significant changes in Earth's upper atmosphere, leading to increased ionization levels and reduced radio signal range. The event has implications for our understanding of the ionosphere and its interactions with external energy sources.
Researchers Dr. Jan van Paradijs and his team are using the Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF) to study two Anomalous X-ray Pulsars (AXPs) - magnetar candidates - that differ from the bulk of X-ray pulsars due to their red X-ray colors and short pulse periods, indicating strong magnetic fields aging the pulsars faster.
Astronomers Renyue Cen suggests that gamma-ray bursts might come from supernovae expelling material at high speeds, producing jets that travel at nearly the speed of light. This theory could explain why some pulsars are moving faster than ordinary stars and potentially pose a catastrophic threat to Earth.
Researchers propose instrument to measure high-energy gamma rays from blazars, pulsars, and bursts, offering improved tracking capabilities and higher energy detection limits. The scintillating fiber detector system will act as both a tracker and calorimeter, providing a wide-angle view of the sky with unprecedented precision.
Astronomers detected a series of at least 26 starquakes, leading to the discovery of SGR 1627-41, the fourth conclusively identified SGR. The new SGR is believed to be caused by massive starquakes and has been linked to a supernova remnant.
Scientists are making significant progress in discovering gamma-ray burst counterparts and afterglows, shedding light on these mysterious events. Fourteen papers are scheduled to be presented at the session, covering the electromagnetic spectrum from radio to gamma rays.
Scientists at Columbia University detected the largest explosion ever witnessed, a gamma-ray burst, which occurred 12 billion years ago. The event released almost as much energy as the 10 billion trillion stars in the universe combined and was detected using a rapid series of phone calls between astronomers around the world.
A NASA scientist has found a new puzzle in the sky, an X-ray pulsar that appears to burst twice every 'year' rather than once. Colleen Wilson discovered GRO J2058+42, which has no visible component and exhibits unusual behavior, suggesting it may be a binary star system with a type Be star and a neutron star in a lopsided orbit.
Research suggests shrews can serve as an indicator of environmental health due to their high sensitivity to environmental change. In the Central African Republic, 16 species of shrews were found thriving in micro-territories, defying expectations for such limited habitats.
Astrophysicists have solved a decades-old mystery with the identification of gamma-ray burst counterparts, leading to a deeper understanding of the universe's early stages. Dr. Jan van Paradijs' discovery of an optical counterpart for a gamma-ray burst in 1997 marked a significant breakthrough.
The 191st AAS meeting will feature a lecture on the latest research on gamma-ray bursts, revealing their origin from distant reaches of the universe. Dr. Chryssa Kouveliotou and Sir Martin Rees will present new findings on GRB characteristics, including temporal, spectral, and spatial analysis.
NASA's Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) has recorded its 2000th gamma-ray burst, a significant milestone in the study of these violent cosmic events. The 2000th burst was smaller than average, but adds to the growing body of knowledge about gamma rays and their origins.
FORCAST, a new infrared camera, will be built at Cornell to image the universe in the infrared spectrum and study stars' neonatal environments. The instrument will fly aboard NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) and make observations that are impossible for ground-based telescopes.
A new digital X-ray technology being studied at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital has the potential to replace film-based radiography, reducing healthcare costs and improving patient care. The technology offers enhanced image quality, lower radiation doses, and increased efficiency for radiologists.
The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory's NEAR spacecraft has detected a major gamma-ray burst, validating its instrument as a true partner in the interplanetary network. The detection expands the network to locate gamma-ray sources with greater accuracy.
Astronomers calculate that a gamma ray burst has expanded to 85 times the size of our solar system and is still growing. The detection uses the 'twinkling' effect in radio astronomy, where the point where twinkling stops allows for diameter measurement.
Despite intensive searches, only a few gamma ray burst counterparts have been found, leaving scientists with more questions than answers. The lack of consistent patterns hampers the search, but continued observations with powerful instruments may help clarify the issue.
Scientists have discovered that the May 8 gamma ray burst releases an enormous amount of energy, outshining the sun in its lifetime. Radio observations indicate the fireball expands at nearly the speed of light, with a size estimated to be about one-tenth of a light-year.
Recent discoveries demonstrate that Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) originate from the most remote parts of the universe, releasing as much energy in 10 seconds as the Sun emits in its entire lifetime. The uniform distribution on the sky and brightness distribution rule out galactic halo and suggest distances exceeding billions of light years.
The ACIS camera will record the energy of each X-ray detected from high-energy objects as unique charge, converting it into a signal to detect different elements. It has very high angular resolution and spectral resolution, allowing scientists to see individual stars for the first time in crowded regions.
A new gamma-ray telescope will reveal new views of binary stars, black holes, and pulsars, shedding light on violent stellar explosions. The instrument, built by Columbia physicist Elena Aprile, will measure gamma rays between 300,000 to 30 million electron-volts, helping scientists understand element creation.
Researchers Animesh Ray and Mitsu Ogihara built DNA logic gates using common lab techniques, marking the first step towards a DNA computer. These gates detect specific DNA fragments, splice them together, and provide output through precise measurement of new strand lengths.
Astronomers have detected radio emission from a cosmic gamma-ray burst using the National Science Foundation's Very Large Array (VLA) radio telescope. The detection may help resolve one of the biggest mysteries in astrophysics, providing unprecedented knowledge about gamma-ray bursts and their parent objects.
Astronomers have detected a flash of light from a distant galaxy, potentially solving a 30-year mystery in astrophysics. The discovery suggests gamma-ray bursts originate from the distant reaches of the universe.
Astronomers analyze over 1,700 gamma-ray bursts and find they are isotropic, meaning their distribution on the sky is almost perfectly random. This contradicts previous theories that placed these bursts within or just outside of our own Milky Way Galaxy.
Astronomers use BATSE to detect four rare cosmic gamma-ray bursts, sparking debate about their origin and distance. The events appeared in rapid succession over two days from the same general position in the sky.
The CUBIC observatory aims to learn more about the unknown sources of a diffuse glow of X-rays reaching the Earth. By studying the energy spectrum of these X-rays, scientists hope to gain insights into the makeup of hot gas that emitted them.
The Compton Observatory detected the brightest gamma-ray burst in its five and a half year mission, releasing as much energy in tens of seconds as the Sun will produce in ten-billion-year lifetime. The burst is rare and may contain information about sources that cannot be extracted from weaker events.