Earth witnessed an unprecedented gamma-ray burst, leaving the scientific community in astonishment. Scientists estimate that the energy released is approximately 10 trillion times that of visible light. Researchers speculate that the source of this explosion could be a dead star known as a pulsar. Furthermore, the cause of such a massive burst is a subject of separate investigation. Here are the details…
The scientific community is investigating the cause of the gamma-ray burst coming from a dead star known as a pulsar!
Let’s get to know the pulsars that caused the explosion that amazed the whole world a little more closely. Pulsars are the remnants of a massive star that exploded as a supernova about 10,000 years ago and then collapsed in on itself. These cosmic objects, which are only 20 kilometers in diameter, rotate and create a powerful magnetic field.
The nearest pulsar to us, the Vera Pulsar, is located about 1000 light-years away from our planet. This cosmic object is also part of the Vela constellation. Scientists conducted a recent study on the Vela Pulsar, and as a result, they found that it is the brightest source ever observed in the radio band. Additionally, besides being the brightest cosmic object, this pulsar also holds the title of the brightest persistent source. As research deepens, the mysteries of pulsars continue to unfold. The new study revealed that some of the radiation has even higher-energy components.
Co-author Christo Venter from North-West University in South Africa stated, “This is about 200 times more energetic than all the radiation previously detected from that object.” Scientists don’t fully understand how this could be possible.
The gamma-ray burst that astonished the world was detected at the High Energy Stereoscopic System observatory in Namibia. Emma de Oña Wilhelmi, a researcher at the observatory, explained, “These dead stars are made almost entirely of neutrons and are incredibly dense: the mass of a teaspoon of material is more than 5 billion tons, or about 900 times the mass of the Great Pyramid of Giza.”
These pulsars resemble cosmic lighthouses and emit beams of electromagnetic radiation. If these beams pass over our solar system, we observe periodic radiation flashes at regular intervals. When scientists observe these beams from Earth, they appear as regular, rhythmic pulses.
Researchers believe that the radiation is generated from the plasma and electromagnetic fields surrounding the star and co-rotating with it. The reason for its broad distribution could be due to fast electrons produced and ejected by the pulsar’s magnetosphere. Scientists will further investigate the radiation in different energy bands of the electromagnetic spectrum, which will help unravel the mystery of this phenomenon.
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