GRB 971214 (1SAX J1156.4+6513) is a
gamma-ray burst
In gamma-ray astronomy, gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are immensely energetic explosions that have been observed in distant galaxies. They are the most energetic and luminous electromagnetic events since the Big Bang. Bursts can last from ten milli ...
observed in 1997. It originated 12 billion
light year
A light-year, alternatively spelled light year, is a large unit of length used to express astronomical distances and is equivalent to about 9.46 trillion kilometers (), or 5.88 trillion miles ().One trillion here is taken to be 1012 ...
s away. For a brief period this was thought by some researchers to have been the most energetic event observed in the universe, but this was before it was established that gamma-ray bursts are beamed towards the Earth. Thus, at the time of the discovery it was hypothesized by G. Djorgovski and his collaborators that the outburst put out more energy than several hundred typical
supernovae
A supernova is a powerful and luminous explosion of a star. It has the plural form supernovae or supernovas, and is abbreviated SN or SNe. This transient astronomical event occurs during the last evolutionary stages of a massive star or when a ...
, or the energy our galaxy puts out over a couple of centuries. However, a couple of years later it was realized that this was an
upper limit as it is likely that the burst was directed towards Earth. If the jet had an opening angle of only a few degrees, the burst energy could have been thousands of times lower. The X-ray afterglow and the host galaxy of the GRB have also been observed, using
BeppoSAX
BeppoSAX was an Italian–Dutch satellite for X-ray astronomy which played a crucial role in resolving the origin of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), the most energetic events known in the universe. It was the first X-ray mission capable of simultaneous ...
and
Keck II
The W. M. Keck Observatory is an astronomical observatory with two telescopes at an elevation of 4,145 meters (13,600 ft) near the summit of Mauna Kea in the U.S. state of Hawaii. Both telescopes have aperture primary mirrors, and when com ...
respectively. The host galaxy lies at
redshift
In physics, a redshift is an increase in the wavelength, and corresponding decrease in the frequency and photon energy, of electromagnetic radiation (such as light). The opposite change, a decrease in wavelength and simultaneous increase in f ...
z=3.4.
Since the beaming phenomenon was not yet established at the time of the discovery, the media responded by giving GRB 971214 the nickname ''Big Bang 2''.
References
External links
Gamma-Ray Burst Found to be Most Energetic Event in Universe(HubbleSite)
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971214
Astronomical objects discovered in 1997