Brightest-of-All-Time Gamma-Ray Burst Analyzed By Fermi Telescope

New Details Emerge About Record-Breaking Event

Scientists Share Insights into GRB 221009A

In October 2022, the brightest-of-all-time gamma-ray burst, dubbed the BOAT, sent shockwaves through the astronomical community. Since its discovery, scientists have eagerly analyzed the extraordinary data collected by NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope and the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory.

An international team of astronomers, including astrophysicists from Northwestern University, has now released their findings, shedding new light on this remarkable event. Their work provides valuable insights into the nature of gamma-ray bursts and the extreme environments from which they originate.

The new findings reveal that the BOAT, officially designated as GRB 221009A, exhibited an unusual energy peak shortly after its initial detection. This peak, captured by Fermi's Large Area Telescope, offered scientists a unique opportunity to study the burst's energy distribution and evolution. By analyzing the data, the team discovered that GRB 221009A was powered by a black hole accretion disk, a rapidly rotating disk of matter that spirals into a black hole.