1999 SPACE SCIENCE VIDEOTAPES |
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Tape Title | Record ID | Date Produced | TRT: |
Synopsis |
| GAMMA RAY BURST IMAGED FOR FIRST TIME | G99-006 | 1/27/99 | 00:00:00 | Astronomers racing the clock managed to take the first-ever optical images of one of the most powerful explosions in the Universe -- a gamma ray burst -- as it was occurring on Saturday, Jan. 23, 1999. Gamma ray bursts produce more energy in a very short period than the rest of the entire Universe combined.
Because such bursts occur with no warning and typically last for just a few seconds, quick detection by orbiting spacecraft and instant notification to astronomers are critical in order to catch the bursts in the act. |
TAPE CONTENTS: |
| ITEM (1): GAMMA RAY BURST ANIMATION SEQUENCE - NASA's Compton Gamma Ray Observatory observes one of the most powerful explosions in the universe - a gamma ray burst. These enigmatic blasts typically last several seconds, but they can outshine all the stars in the Universe combined.
Because such bursts occur with no warning, quick detection by orbiting spacecraft, and instant notification to astronomers, are critical in order to catch the bursts in the act.
Detectors onboard CGRO detected the beginning of a bright gamma ray burst on Saturday, Jan 23. As the burst was still in progress, computers determined a rough location and radioed the position to the Gamma-ray Burst Coordinates Network (GCN), based at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD. The position was immediately forwarded via the GCN to astronomers at ground based observatories throughout the world.
For the first time, astronomers viewed the fireball while the burst was in progress. This will help determine how these explosions release tremendous amounts of energy in such brief periods.
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| ITEM (2): "NEUTRON STAR" ANIMATION SEQUENCE - A neutron star is a dense, stellar "cinder" left behind after a massive star explodes. One possible explanation, among many, for gamma ray bursts is that these explosions occur when two neutron stars in close orbit merge.
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| ITEM (3): COMPTON GAMMA RAY OBSERVATORY - includes shots from the optical telescope
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