Swift: Gamma-Ray Bursts

Gamma rays are found at one end of the electromagnetic spectrum, which also includes radio waves, infrared light, visible light, ultraviolet light, and x-rays. Gamma-rays have a shorter wavelength and more energy than any other form of electromagnetic radiation. In the late 1960s, enormous bursts of energy in the form of gamma-rays were detected in space. Distributed randomly across the sky, these intensely energetic flashes stumped researchers. What astronomical phenomenon could create such powerful bursts of energy? Not only were the origins of the energy unknown, researchers could not even pinpoint whether the bursts were located within the galaxy or at cosmological distances.

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• Swift
• galaxy
• Gamma-Ray
• Bursts
• cosmology

[OMGITSDRJESUS]

@GelandnaleG what?



[GelandnaleG]

3:55pm Wednesday (CDT)

that should help brb

[RockMeteor]

Funny, this video is in a playlist of Videos of the band "Gamma ray".

[ankitdeshmukh]

Hi Awogta regarding to your query the GRB's are the most powerful events in the universe next to big bang itself occuring 10 times a day. But the energy of gamma rays we utilize to cure cancer cells are not even 1% of 1% of that energy. So that amount is literally harmless. since gamma rays are considered to be deadliest form of energy in universe also called high energy particles even more energetic than X-rays, any amount in excess causes biological damage and depletion of ozone layer on earth

[awogta]

so i dont get it if these rays are produced by such powerful events such as nuclear explosions and the stars and all that how does medicine use the gamma rays to kill cancerous cells how do they make these rays, please reply I need help with my physics hw, thanks in advance

[bobbycratchit]

It's actually not that unusual. One reason to use the notion is to convey some idea as to the magnitude of the number. If I say 10^18 it is not as communicative as a billion billion. See the idea?

[letschillz]

a billion billion??? thats a friggin number? wouldnt it be like, a trillion or a quatrillion. does it mean a billion times a billion? WTF

[BongOfCthulhu]

*it can be hazardous from further away than 1,000 LYs. It wouldnt destroy anything physically per say...it would however obliterate our atmosphere. only deep dwelling creatures would survive

[craggit]

Well GRB's happen quite a lot and we don't see all of the GRB's we see maybe 1 out of 300 gamma-ray burst's that occur outside of our solar system by the naked eye, using no optical aids. If a GRB was to happen in our solar system then all of the planets within it's burst beam would more then certainly be obliterated, causing a superheat of the planet's and destroying all life forms. This will happen if a GRB occurs at 1000 light years away.

[sodiumhyro]

Thats like with gamma rays on earth they are spat out after a nuclear reaction in a atom while the nucleus is unstable.