Unprecedented Light Show: The Spectacular Arrival of the “BOAT” Gamma-Ray Burst
Last year witnessed an extraordinary celestial event as Earth encountered the brightest flash of light ever recorded in the night sky, unsettling the upper atmosphere in an unprecedented manner, according to researchers on Tuesday.
BOAT: Brightest Of All Time
On October 9, 2022, a colossal burst of gamma rays emanating from a cosmic explosion approximately two billion light years away reached Earth, captivating telescopes worldwide. Swiftly dubbed “BOAT” for Brightest Of All Time, the dazzling flash endured a mere seven minutes, yet its afterglow remained visible to amateur astronomers for an impressive seven hours.
Far-Reaching Impact
The luminous spectacle triggered lightning detectors in India and activated instruments designed for studying solar flares on the sun. Beyond these immediate effects, the BOAT significantly influenced long-wave radio communications in the lower ionosphere, spanning 60 to 350 kilometers (37 to 217 miles) above the Earth’s surface.
The BOAT also left its mark on the upper ionosphere, a section of Earth’s upper atmosphere extending from 350 to 950 kilometers above the surface. This marks the inaugural observation of a gamma-ray burst impacting this atmospheric layer, as detailed by a team of Italian and Chinese researchers in a new study published in Nature Communications.
Mirko Piersanti, the study’s lead author from Italy’s University of L’Aquila, noted that the event provided conclusive evidence on a topic that had been debated within the scientific community for two decades — the potential influence of gamma-ray bursts on the upper ionosphere.
A Glimpse into Deep Space’s Impact on Earth
The advantageous positioning of the Chinese–Italian CSES satellite, equipped with an electric field detector, allowed researchers to study the illuminated zone in the upper ionosphere 500 kilometers above Earth. Piersanti emphasized the groundbreaking discovery of a never-before-observed shape in the electric field, characterizing it as “amazing.”
The research sheds light on the unprecedented event but also aids scientists in comprehending the potential threats posed by other gamma-ray bursts in the future. Piersanti highlighted the worst-case scenario: a powerful burst originating closer to home within our Milky Way galaxy, which could potentially obliterate Earth’s ozone layer, exposing life on the surface to harmful ultraviolet radiation.
Unanswered Questions and Ancient Speculations
Despite these findings, much remains unknown, and uncertainties persist. While past gamma-ray bursts have been speculated to contribute to ancient mass extinction events, Piersanti underscored the need for further exploration. The gamma-ray burst of 2022, officially designated GRB 221009A, is believed to have resulted from either a dying star’s supernova explosion or the birth of a black hole, with its immense power suggesting the possibility of both scenarios.
While Earth encounters more than one gamma-ray burst daily on average, events of the BOAT’s magnitude are estimated to occur approximately once every 10,000 years. Thus, the BOAT offers a glimpse into the remarkable and rare phenomena that unfold in our cosmic neighborhood.
Read the original article on Nature Communications.
Source: Mirko Piersanti, Evidence of an upper ionospheric electric field perturbation correlated with a gamma ray burst, Nature Communications (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42551-5. www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-42551-5
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