The gamma-ray burst GRB 221009A lasted only 7 minutes but disrupted Earth's ionosphere for several hours.
GRB 221009A could have been born from a supernova explosion or the formation of a black hole. Photo: NASA
"GRB 221009A, the most energetic GRB ever recorded, profoundly impacted the ionosphere for the first time," Newsweek quoted Mirko Piersanti, a space weather researcher at the University of L'Aquila in Italy, as saying on October 14. "Its photon flux peaked at 6 million particles per second (the previous record was 500,000 photons per second), which could have ionized the entire ionosphere, creating a violent electric current that can be observed through electric field measurements in low Earth orbit."
The gamma-ray burst, called GRB 221009A, caused massive fluctuations in the electric field of Earth's ionosphere at an altitude of about 498 kilometers (310 miles), according to research published in the journal Nature Communications. The GRB appeared on October 9, 2022, in the constellation Sagitta and lasted about 7 minutes. It originated 2 billion years ago, possibly from a massive star undergoing a supernova explosion or the formation of a black hole. After traveling billions of light years, the GRB was still powerful enough to cause strange fluctuations in Earth's ionosphere, the layer of the atmosphere at altitudes of 60 to 306 kilometers that is filled with charged ions. According to Piersanti, it disrupted the lower ionosphere (at altitudes of 80 to 120 kilometers) for several hours. In fact, like previous high-energy GRBs, it disrupted long-wave radio communications on Earth.
Gamma-ray bursts are the most powerful bursts of energy in the universe, erupting from the most violent explosions, such as neutron star collisions. These intense pulses of light often come in two opposing beams, like the beams of a lighthouse.
According to the European Space Agency, some theories speculate that GRBs could wipe out all life in the home galaxy, vaporizing everything within 200 light years of the beam. However, researchers still don’t know the true impact of GRBs. According to Piersanti, in the worst case, gamma-ray bursts could not only affect the ionosphere but also destroy the ozone layer, allowing ultraviolet radiation from the Sun to reach the Earth’s surface. That could be the cause of some of the mass extinctions that have occurred on Earth in the past.
An Khang (According to Newsweek )
Source link
Comment (0)