GRB970228: What's There?
Credit & Copyright: J. van Paradijs (UAH)
et al., HST,
NASA
Explanation:
Could this fuzzy blob be the key to the whole
gamma-ray
burst (GRB) mystery?
Astronomers the world over are now scrambling to determine the
true nature of the extended emission seen to the lower right of
the bright source in the
above image.
The bright object in the center is rapidly fading - and thought
to be the
first true optical counterpart to a GRB.
But is it housed in a
galaxy? If
so, after the central emission has faded, this galaxy should be
identifiable. Today, follow up observations of this blob are
planned with the
Hubble Space Telescope.
If the extended emission does come from a galaxy it would bolster
indications that the
February 28th GRB
occurred in that galaxy, across the universe from us. This,
in turn, would imply that
GRBs are
truly the most powerful explosions ever known.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
