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An illustration of the space telescopes, Insight-HXMT and GECAM-C. /CMG
In collaboration with over 40 research agencies, a Chinese institute has announced new discoveries associated with the brightest gamma-ray burst (GRB) ever recorded last October.
Thanks to Chinese space telescopes, Insight-HXMT and GECAM-C, the scientists have accurately measured how bright the burst was and how much energy it released.
The bright and long-lasting pulse of high-energy radiation from a GRB was detected last October. Named GRB 221009A, it was by far the brightest one ever detected.
"The GECAM-C helped reveal that the brightness of the GRB is record-breaking, 50 times brighter than any previous bursts," said Xiong Shaolin, a researcher at the Institute of High Energy Physics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
The researchers estimated that the energy of the burst could be equivalent to the amount of energy that eight suns produce in one minute, and the GRB jet was the narrowest, which could be a reason why it appeared extremely bright.
"It's a team effort as we collaborated with over 40 global institutes," Xiong said. "We are in a crucial role in this project and it shows our homegrown advanced detectors can benefit all humans."
The GRBs are explosions usually generated when a massive star collapses – lasting over two seconds – or when two compact stars merge – lasting less than two seconds. The bursts can be detected only when the jets generated by the explosion face the Earth.
Nearly 10,000 GRBs have been detected since 1967.
Read more: Chinese astronomers detect record-breaking gamma-ray burst
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Copyright © 2023 CGTN. 京ICP备16065310号
Disinformation report hotline: 010-85061466