May 25, 2011 - Astronomy.com
A gamma-ray burst detected by NASA's Swift satellite in April 2009 has been newly unveiled as a candidate for the most distant object in the universe. At an estimated distance of 13.14 billion light-years, the burst lies far beyond any known quasar and could be more distant than any previously known galaxy or gamma-ray burst (GRB). ...
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Less than a week after the record-setting GRB 090423 made headlines around the world, this new burst, GRB 090429B, appeared in the sky with suspiciously similar properties. As with the previous burst, GRB 090429B was a short-lived event, lasting less than 10 seconds, and automated Swift observations showed it to have a relatively faint X-ray afterglow. Cucchiara, then a graduate student at Penn State, woke up in the early morning hours to direct observations at the Gemini North telescope on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, that he hoped would pin down the nature of this burst. ...
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Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Betting on the Most Distant Gamma Ray Burst Ever Seen
May 27, 2011 - SpaceRef.com
In a game of cosmological one-upmanship, what is likely the most distant gamma ray burst (GRB) ever detected could be presenting humanity with a glimpse back to within about half a billion years of the Big Bang. "Like any finding of this sort there are uncertainties," said the study's principal investigator Antonino Cucchiara. "However, if I were in Vegas, I would never bet against the odds that this is the most distant GRB ever seen and we estimate that there is even a 23% chance that it is the most distant object ever observed in the universe."
A unique set of images from the Gemini North telescope in Hawaii clearly reveals the infrared afterglow of this powerful burst. More importantly, the data allowed the researchers to estimate its distance with a relatively high degree of certainty, placing it near the edge of the observable universe.
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In a game of cosmological one-upmanship, what is likely the most distant gamma ray burst (GRB) ever detected could be presenting humanity with a glimpse back to within about half a billion years of the Big Bang. "Like any finding of this sort there are uncertainties," said the study's principal investigator Antonino Cucchiara. "However, if I were in Vegas, I would never bet against the odds that this is the most distant GRB ever seen and we estimate that there is even a 23% chance that it is the most distant object ever observed in the universe."
A unique set of images from the Gemini North telescope in Hawaii clearly reveals the infrared afterglow of this powerful burst. More importantly, the data allowed the researchers to estimate its distance with a relatively high degree of certainty, placing it near the edge of the observable universe.
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NASA's Swift finds most distant gamma-ray burst yet
May 27, 2011 - PhysOrg.com
On April 29, 2009, a five-second-long burst of gamma rays from the constellation Canes Venatici triggered the Burst Alert Telescope on NASA's Swift satellite. As with most gamma-ray bursts, this one -- now designated GRB 090429B -- heralded the death of a star some 30 times the sun's mass and the likely birth of a new black hole.
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The Gemini-North Telescope in Hawaii captured optical and infrared images of GRB 090429B's quickly fading afterglow within about three hours of Swift's detection. "Gemini was the right telescope, in the right place, at the right time," said lead researcher Antonino Cucchiara at the University of California, Berkeley. "The data from Gemini was instrumental in allowing us to reach the conclusion that the object is likely the most distant GRB ever seen."
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On April 29, 2009, a five-second-long burst of gamma rays from the constellation Canes Venatici triggered the Burst Alert Telescope on NASA's Swift satellite. As with most gamma-ray bursts, this one -- now designated GRB 090429B -- heralded the death of a star some 30 times the sun's mass and the likely birth of a new black hole.
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The Gemini-North Telescope in Hawaii captured optical and infrared images of GRB 090429B's quickly fading afterglow within about three hours of Swift's detection. "Gemini was the right telescope, in the right place, at the right time," said lead researcher Antonino Cucchiara at the University of California, Berkeley. "The data from Gemini was instrumental in allowing us to reach the conclusion that the object is likely the most distant GRB ever seen."
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Extending the edge of the observable Universe
May 26, 2011 - Astronomy Now
After two years of analysing images and data from gamma-ray burst (GRB) 090429B, astronomers estimate that its light began travelling on its journey just 520 million years after the Universe began.
GRBs are the brief burst of high-energy radiation that mark the death of massive stars. Over time this emissions fades to an afterglow of light at other wavelengths. Initially discovered by the Swift satellite, the subsequent afterglow was detected by the Gemini North telescope at infrared wavelengths.
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After two years of analysing images and data from gamma-ray burst (GRB) 090429B, astronomers estimate that its light began travelling on its journey just 520 million years after the Universe began.
GRBs are the brief burst of high-energy radiation that mark the death of massive stars. Over time this emissions fades to an afterglow of light at other wavelengths. Initially discovered by the Swift satellite, the subsequent afterglow was detected by the Gemini North telescope at infrared wavelengths.
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Cosmic distance record 'broken'
May 25, 2011 - BBC News
A cataclysmic explosion of a huge star near the edge of the observable Universe may be the most distant single object yet spied by a telescope.
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A cataclysmic explosion of a huge star near the edge of the observable Universe may be the most distant single object yet spied by a telescope.
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Cosmic explosion may be most distant object in Universe
May 25, 2011 - USA Today
Astronomers may have spotted the most distant object in the universe -- 13.14 billion light years away. Going by the prosaic name GRB 090429B, the object came to their attention because of a 10-second gamma-ray burst originally detected by NASA's Swift satellite in April 2009.
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Astronomers may have spotted the most distant object in the universe -- 13.14 billion light years away. Going by the prosaic name GRB 090429B, the object came to their attention because of a 10-second gamma-ray burst originally detected by NASA's Swift satellite in April 2009.
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Huge explosion most distant ever seen
May 26, 2011 - ABC Online
Scientists have set a new record for the most distant object ever observed - 13.14 billion light years way.
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Cucchiara who was at Penn State University at the time, says he tried to determine how far away the object was by obtaining a spectral analysis using the Gemini North Telescope in Hawaii.
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Scientists have set a new record for the most distant object ever observed - 13.14 billion light years way.
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Cucchiara who was at Penn State University at the time, says he tried to determine how far away the object was by obtaining a spectral analysis using the Gemini North Telescope in Hawaii.
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