GRB 070125 is a
gamma-ray burst (GRB) that was observed on January 25, 2007, by the
InterPlanetary Network
The InterPlanetary Network (IPN) is a group of spacecraft equipped with gamma ray burst (GRB) detectors. By timing the arrival of a burst at several spacecraft, its precise location can be found. The precision for determining the direction of a G ...
, which lasted for around 70 seconds. It is unique in that it did not occur in a galaxy, but in
intergalactic space. This is unusual, since they are caused by the
hypernovae of young massive
star
A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by its gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked ...
s, which usually means having to reside in a galaxy, as almost all stars are formed in galaxies, particularly high mass ones. It has a redshift of 1.55, which equals to a light travel distance of 9.5 billion years.
It is theorized that the star formed in the tidal tail resulting from the
interaction of two nearby
galaxies
A galaxy is a system of stars, stellar remnants, interstellar gas, dust, dark matter, bound together by gravity. The word is derived from the Greek ' (), literally 'milky', a reference to the Milky Way galaxy that contains the Solar System. ...
, deep in intergalactic space.
A month after it was detected, the
Large Binocular Telescope observed a 26th magnitude optical afterglow from the gamma ray burst.
References
070125
20070125
January 2007 events
Gemini (constellation)
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