Page 6 - UNAM Forum ED2-2021

cientists have gained the DESY scientist Sylvia Zhu, one of the the University of Namibia (UNAM)
best view yet of the brightest authors of the paper. “They are the were hosting the international High
explosions in the universe: A biggest explosions in the universe Energy Astrophysics in Southern
Sspecialised observatory in and associated with the collapse Africa (HEASA 2019) conference in
Namibia has recorded the most of a rapidly rotating massive star Swakopmund, Namibia, between
energetic radiation and longest to a black hole. A fraction of the August 28 and 30 that year. A
gamma-ray afterglow of a so- liberated gravitational energy good part of the attendees were
called gamma-ray burst (GRB) to feeds the production of an ultra- H.E.S.S. members, but by far not
date. The observations with the relativistic blast wave. Their emission all of them,” recalls Dr Michael
High Energy Stereoscopic System is divided into two distinct phases: Backes, the head of the H.E.S.S.
(H.E.S.S.) challenge the established an initial chaotic prompt phase group at UNAM.
idea of how gamma-rays are lasting tens of seconds, followed
produced in these colossal stellar by a long-lasting, smoothly fading The event, catalogued as GRB
explosions which are the birth cries afterglow phase.” 190829A according to its date of
of black holes, as the international occurrence, turned out to be one
team reports in the journal Science. On 29 August 2019 the satellites of the nearest gamma-ray bursts
Fermi and Swift detected observed so far, with a distance
“Gamma-ray bursts are bright X-ray a gamma-ray burst in the of about one billion lightyears. For
and gamma-ray flashes observed constellation of Eridanus. “I do comparison: The typical gamma-
in the sky, emitted by distant well recall the first internal ‘buzz’ ray burst is about 20 billion lightyears
extragalactic sources,” explains about the event. Our team from away. “We were really sitting in the

The comparatively short

distance to this gamma-ray burst

allowed detailed measurements

of the afterglow’s spectrum...

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