Brightest gamma-ray burst observed is once-in-10,000-year cosmic event

Multiple observations confirmed that the burst was approximately 70 times brighter than anything previously recorded. Scientists also compared it to data from 7,000 GRBs detected by NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope and the Russian Konus instrument on NASA's Wind spacecraft.

“GRB 221009A was likely the brightest burst at X-ray and gamma-ray energies to occur since human civilization began,” said Eric Burns, an assistant professor of physics and astronomy at Louisiana State University, in a statement. 

This contributed to it being dubbed "BOAT or Brightest Of All Time." The signal from GRB 221009A had traveled for approximately 1.9 billion years before reaching Earth.

The origin of this burst

Astronomers classify burst sources into two categories: short and long bursts. Short GRBs are caused by neutron stars, whereas long GRBs are caused by the birth of black holes.

This gamma-ray burst lasted more than 300 seconds. As a result, it is classified as a long-duration GRB. Astronomers believe this burst could be a result of the “birth cry of a black hole.”

The birth of a black hole is a volatile cosmic event. The newly formed black hole blasts out extreme jets of plasma at the speed of light during this process. 

But what caused it to be so bright? According to scientists, this GRB was released via a relatively narrow-angle jet. As a result, the particles in this jet were very narrowly beamed and directed toward the Earth. This astounding outburst was so bright that it blinded most gamma-ray instruments.

The detection advances our understanding of the origins of these powerful space explosions. The scientists will conduct additional observations with the James Webb and Hubble Space Telescopes. 

The details will be published as a collection in Astrophysical Journal Letters.