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Julie Hambleton
Julie Hambleton
October 25, 2022 ·  4 min read

Astronomers have just watched the most powerful explosion ever seen

Scientists tell us that explosions happen often in outer space. Usually, however, these are either too far away or not big enough for us to notice from our planet. Recently, however, NASA picked up vibrations from the most powerful explosion we have ever seen in our solar system. They are reporting this cosmic blast as the most powerful of its kind ever detected.

NASA Detected Our Solar System’s Most Powerful Explosion Ever

On October 9th, NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, and Wind spacecraft detected a cosmic blast like one they have never seen before. This gamma-ray burst is the most powerful explosion they have ever seen in our solar system. They have named the blast GRB 221009A. There are many reasons why scientists are saying that this is so amazing.

First off, this is rare. They say that we likely won’t see another powerful explosion even close to this one for another thousand years. This tends to be their frequency. Second, the impact that this could have had on Earth due to how close it was to our planet is amazing. We, truthfully, are quite lucky that it wasn’t any closer. (1)

Read: NASA to send probe inside Uranus to learn more about mysterious planet

Image Credit: NASA | University of Leicester

What Was The Blast From?

As already mentioned, this blast was a gamma ray explosion. Gamma rays are a form of electromagnetic radiation. According to NASA, gamma-ray bursts are the most powerful explosions that exist in our universe. They rank among the most luminous, aka the brightest, celestial events that we know of.

Scientists say that the explosion came in the direction of the constellation Sagitta. They estimate that it traveled for approximately 1.9 billion years before reaching Earth. The blast lasted over 10 hours and was so close to us that it could actually be felt on our planet. As for why it happened or how astronomers have some theories.

They believe that it came from the creation of a new black hole. This black hole would have formed because of the heat created by a star collapsing in on itself. When this happens, the newly forming black hole sends out powerful streams of particles that travel almost at the speed of light. When that jet of particles pierces the star, it emits x-rays and gamma rays as they stream off into space.

Read: The deepest view of the unseen universe ever captured: NASA releases first images from new space telescope

What Makes This Explosion So Special?

As mentioned, this was the most powerful explosion that astronomers have ever seen, but beyond that, the brightness of the gamma blast has also stunned scientists. It is the brightest explosion to have ever been spotted from Earth. Informally, many astronomers and astronomy students have been jokingly calling it the “BOAT”, an acronym for “brightest of all time”. This is a fun little play of the slang term “goat”, which stands for “greatest of all time”.

The other side of this that has been so impactful for astronomers and other scientists are potential consequences that this explosion could have had, had it been any closer to Earth. As I mentioned previously, this was the closest that a gamma ray explosion has ever been in recorded history. Had it been any closer, the explosion could have done some pretty serious damage to the Earth’s ozone layer. This would have made our planet, and therefore us, much more vulnerable to the Sun’s powerful ultraviolet (UV) rays.

There are benefits, however, to a gamma blast coming this close to us. It has allowed scientists to see details about these blasts that normally would be too faint for them to see. The more details scientists can see and study, the more knowledge they can gather about them. This will help them to increase their understanding of outer space and how what happens so far out the universe impacts us here on our own planet.

“Because this burst is so bright and also nearby, we think this is a once-in-a-century opportunity to address some of the most fundamental questions regarding these explosions, from the formation of black holes to tests of dark matter models,” said Brendan O’Connor of University of Maryland/George Washington University, member of two Rapid Target of Opportunity imaging teams using Gemini South. “The Gemini observations will allow us to utilize this nearby event to the fullest and seek out the signatures of heavy elements formed and ejected in the massive star collapse.” (2)

Keep Reading: Nicole Aunapu Mann Became First Native American Woman In Space

Sources

  1. “NASA’s Swift, Fermi Missions Detect Exceptional Cosmic Blast.” NASA. October 13, 2022.
  2. “Today’s Most Powerful Explosion Ever Recorded Was The ‘Birth Cry Of A New Black Hole,’ Say Scientists.” Forbes. Jamie Carter. Octber14, 2022.