Is Mystery Object an Orphan Afterglow
Explanation:
What is that unusual object?
Astronomers can identify most objects that are imaged on the sky, but not all.
Pictured above is one that currently defies classification.
Attributes of the object include that it has unusual
colors, appears to be
fading as months go by,
and appears to be associated with a
distant galaxy.
Its discoverers hold hope that they have
uncovered the first known
orphan afterglow, an explosion that would
have been classified as a
gamma-ray burst if the
gamma-rays were beamed in our direction.
Orphan
afterglows, if they exist, could have unparalleled brightness,
and hence be visible so far away that they
yield key information
about the early years of our
universe.
A bit of
caution might be merited, however, as the
last well-publicized mystery object
turned out not to be a new member of the
astronomical zoo,
but rather an unusual type of
quasar.
Follow-up
observations and
analysis over the next year may find more objects
like this and/or solve this mystery.
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.
