GRB 060218
GRB 060218's duration (almost 2000 seconds) and its origin in a galaxy 440 million light years away are far longer and closer, respectively, than typical gamma-ray bursts seen before, and the burst was also considerably dimmer than average despite its close distance.
As of February 2006, the phenomenon was not yet well understood. However, an optical afterglow to the gamma-ray burst has been detected and is brightening, and some scientists believe that the appearance of a supernova (SN 2006aj) may be ongoing.
Four different groups of researchers, led by Sergio Campana, Elena Pian, Alicia Soderberg and Paolo Mazzali respectively, carried out the investigation of the phenomenon and presented their results in Nature on August 31, 2006. They found the strongest evidence yet that supernovae and GRBs might be linked, because GRB 060218 showed signs of both the GRB and the supernova. The exploding star is believed to have had the boundary mass (about 20 Solar masses) for supernovae to leave either a black hole or a neutron star after its explosion.
References
- ^ "X-rated supernova". Nature. Retrieved 2006-08-31.
- ^ "Strange Exploding Star Unlocks Supernova Secrets". Space.com. 30 August 2006. Retrieved 2006-08-31.
External links
- Light curves and spectra Archived 2017-12-02 at the Wayback Machine on the Open Supernova Catalog Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine
- http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=19106
- http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/060223_explosion.html
- http://skyandtelescope.com/news/article_1683_1.asp
- http://www.newscientistspace.com/article/dn8776.html
- http://sabbe.fragzone.se/KPO/grb060218.htm
- YahooNews
- Finder Charts for GRB 060218 Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine shows the area of the sky prior to the incident.
- More NASA observational reports at the Burst Information (Current and Archives)
- Simbad
- Image SN 2006aj