Moroccan Observatory Captures Record-Breaking Gamma-Ray Burst 2.4 Billion Light-Years Away

The observation of this exceptional cosmic eruption was made possible thanks to the MOSS and HAO telescopes, alerted by NASA’s SWIFT device, according to a press release. This gamma-ray burst, the most intense form of electromagnetic radiation, was first observed by telescopes in Earth orbit on October 9.

Named GRB 221 009 A, the ray was born from the constellation of the Arrow and the explosion remained detectable for more than 10 hours, thus breaking another record. Scientists have estimated that the phenomenon is due to the death of giant stars, which are 30 times the size of the Sun.

"The star explodes and becomes a supernova, before collapsing in on itself and forming a black hole. Matter then forms a disk around the black hole, is absorbed into it and ejected in the form of energy traveling at 99.99% the speed of light," explained astrophysicist Brendan O’Connor.

For her part, astronomer Roberta Pillera, one of the first to detect the ray, said that "this burst is much closer than typical GRBs, which is exciting because it allows us to detect many details that would otherwise be too faint to see. But it’s also one of the most energetic and luminous bursts ever seen, regardless of distance, which makes it doubly interesting."