Signal aus grauer Vorzeit
Sehen Sie diesen kleinen roten Fleck? Das ist eine extrem weit entfernte Explosion im frühen Universum, die X-Shooter am Very Large Telescope (VLT) der ESO aufgenommen wurde. Dieses Licht stammt von einem Gammablitz (englisch: gamma-ray burst, kurz GRB), einem der hellsten und rätselhaftesten Phänomene im Universum.
Im September 2021 entdeckte das Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory der NASA in diesem Bereich des Himmels eine helle Gammastrahlenquelle. Sobald der anfängliche helle Blitz eines GRB abgeklungen ist, hält das Nachglühen bei längeren Wellenlängen wie sichtbarem oder infrarotem Licht noch an. Aber die Quellen verblassen sehr schnell, so dass man schnell reagieren muss! Ein Team von Astronom*innen unter der Leitung von Andrea Rossi vom INAF in Bologna beobachtete die Nachwirkungen des GRB mit einer Reihe von Teleskopen auf der ganzen Welt, darunter mehrere ESO-Instrumente am VLT und die robotischen Teleskope REM und GROND am La-Silla-Observatorium der ESO.
Das Team nahm mit X-Shooter nicht nur Bilder auf, sondern erstellte mit diesem Instrument auch Spektren. Dies war ausschlaggebend für den Nachweis, dass der Ausbruch aus einer extrem weit entfernten Galaxie stammt, aus einer Zeit, als das Universum nur 6 % seines heutigen Alters hatte. Das macht diesen Ausbruch zu einem der am weitesten entfernten GBRs, die je gefunden wurden.
Der Ursprung von Gammablitzen bleibt jedoch nach wie vor ein Rätsel. Laut Rossis Team hat dieser spezielle GRB so viel Energie ausgestrahlt, dass er wahrscheinlich durch Materie erzeugt wurde, die in ein schwarzes Loch oder (weniger wahrscheinlich) einen Magnetar – einen Neutronenstern mit einem sehr starken Magnetfeld – fiel. Mit dem kommenden Extremely Large Telescope der ESO können die Eigenschaften von Ausbrüchen wie diesem und seinen Vorläufern genauer untersucht werden, was dann mehr Klarheit in ihren genauen Ursprung bringen wird.
Bildnachweis:ESO/A. Rossi et al.
Über das Bild
| ID: | potw2240a |
| Sprache: | de-be |
| Typ: | Beobachtung |
| Veröffentlichungsdatum: | 3. Oktober 2022 06:00 |
| Größe: | 1041 x 1040 px |
Über das Objekt
| Name: | GRB 210905A |
| Typ: | Early Universe : Cosmology : Phenomenon : Gamma Ray Burst |
| Constellation: | Microscopium |
Bildschirm-Hintergrundbilder
Koordinaten
| Position (RA): | 20 36 11.58 |
| Position (Dec): | -44° 26' 24.77" |
| Field of view: | 0.76 x 0.76 arcminutes |
| Orientierung: | Die Nordrichtung liegt 12.7° rechts zur Vertikale |
Farben & Filter
| Spektralbereich | Wellenlänge | Teleskop |
|---|---|---|
| Optisch R | 655 nm | Very Large Telescope X-shooter |
| Optisch I | 768 nm | Very Large Telescope X-shooter |
| Optisch Z | 910 nm | Very Large Telescope X-shooter |
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