NASA | GLASTcast | Episode 2: What are Gamma Rays?

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NASA's GLAST mission is an astrophysics and particle physics partnership, developed in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy, along with important contributions from academic institutions and partners in France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Sweden, and the U.S.

Somewhere out in the vast depths of space, a giant star explodes with the power of millions of suns. As the star blows up, a black hole forms at its center. The black hole blows two blowtorches in opposite directions, in narrow jets of gamma rays. NASA's Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope, or GLAST, will catch about 200 of these explosions, known as gamma-ray bursts, each year. GLAST's detailed observations may give astronomers the clues they need to unravel the mystery of what exactly produces these gamma-ray bursts, which are the brightest explosions in the universe since the Big Bang.

Interviews with (in order of appearance):

Phil Plait -- Astronomer, Bad Astronomy
David Thompson - GLAST Deputy Project Scientist, NASA Goddard
Valerie Connaughton - GLAST Burst Monitor (GBM) Team, NASA Marshall/University of Alabama
Neil Gehrels - GLAST Deputy Project Scientist, NASA Goddard
Isabelle Grenier -- Principal Investigator of the GLAST French contribution, French Atomic Energy Commission
Peter Michaelson - Large Area Telescope (LAT) Principal Investigator, Stanford University
Charles "Chip" Meegan -- GLAST Burst Monitor (GBM) Principal Investigator, NASA Marshall
Martin Pohl -- GLAST Interdisciplinary Scientist, Iowa State University
Steve Ritz - GLAST Project Scientist, NASA Goddard

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• nasa
• goddard
• space
• flight
• center
• tv
• extreme
• universe
• glast
• gamma
• ray
• burst
• black
• hole
• telescope
• satellite
• launch
• steve
• ritz
• fermi
• glastcast

[Iambecome]

Mmmmm, that woman at 1.13 is gorgeous. Anyone know who she is?

(And the video is good too)

[NASAexplorer]

She's the Principal Investigator of the GLAST French contribution and works and is a physicist at the French Atomic Energy Commission. :)

[Extermanat0r88]

@Iambecome eeeeeewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

[luchoar81]

SUBTITLES PLEASE!

[monkeyman5lol]

@Iambecome SHE IS DENG lol

[Iambecome]

@monkeyman5lol you don't know a good milf when you see one, sir.

[monkeyman5lol]

@Iambecome or not...

[RobinahJ]

Man, this is amazing. Beyond all the wars, and hunger and cries of the innocent, the world is beautiful and amazing beyond all measure :D

[tahnounbintaj]

thnxx the Subtitles really helpd alOOt :P.. hoping for more :D

[AhmadMaazAli]

i need the uses of gamma rays,can any one help

[LuxuryBarrage]

@Iambecome I was expecting some hot chick.

[TENspeaks]

@ vlatin1 - gamma ray bursts don't originate from within the black hole; They form after the collapsed star exhausts its energy/matter. After the star has exhausts it's energy; a black hole forms.

My questions: Are the streams of light from the collapsed star quasars? Are quasars gamma rays? I didn't think gamma rays were part of the visible light spectrum.