GRB 050904
Encyclopedia
GRB 050904 is one of the most distant events ever observed.
This gamma ray burst
(GRB) occurred in the constellation Pisces
.
The bright γ-ray flash, lasting about 200 seconds, was detected on September 4, 2005 by the Swift Gamma-Ray Burst Mission
.
The GRB has a redshift
of z=6.295. Such a high redshift means that the burst happened
nearly 13 billion years ago.
Therefore, the GRB exploded when the Universe was an infant (890 million years old according to the most recent estimates), about 6% of its current age.
By comparison, the most distant galaxy
and the most distant quasar
ever observed have a redshift of 6.96 and 6.43, respectively.
Three different groups of researchers, led by Giancarlo Cusumano, Joshua Haislip, and Nobuyuki Kawai respectively, carried out the investigation of the phenomenon and presented their results in Nature magazine on March 9, 2006.
This gamma ray burst
Gamma ray burst
Gamma-ray bursts are flashes of gamma rays associated with extremely energetic explosions that have been observed in distant galaxies. They are the most luminous electromagnetic events known to occur in the universe. Bursts can last from ten milliseconds to several minutes, although a typical...
(GRB) occurred in the constellation Pisces
Pisces (constellation)
Pisces is a constellation of the zodiac. Its name is the Latin plural for fish, and its symbol is . It lies between Aquarius to the west and Aries to the east...
.
The bright γ-ray flash, lasting about 200 seconds, was detected on September 4, 2005 by the Swift Gamma-Ray Burst Mission
Swift Gamma-Ray Burst Mission
The Swift Gamma-Ray Burst Mission consists of a robotic spacecraft called Swift, which was launched into orbit on 20 November 2004, 17:16:00 UTC on a Delta II 7320-10C expendable launch vehicle. Swift is managed by the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, and was developed by an international...
.
The GRB has a redshift
Redshift
In physics , redshift happens when light seen coming from an object is proportionally increased in wavelength, or shifted to the red end of the spectrum...
of z=6.295. Such a high redshift means that the burst happened
nearly 13 billion years ago.
Therefore, the GRB exploded when the Universe was an infant (890 million years old according to the most recent estimates), about 6% of its current age.
By comparison, the most distant galaxy
IOK-1
IOK-1 is a distant galaxy in Coma Berenices. When discovered in 2006, it was the oldest and most distant galaxy ever found, at redshift 6.96....
and the most distant quasar
Quasar
A quasi-stellar radio source is a very energetic and distant active galactic nucleus. Quasars are extremely luminous and were first identified as being high redshift sources of electromagnetic energy, including radio waves and visible light, that were point-like, similar to stars, rather than...
ever observed have a redshift of 6.96 and 6.43, respectively.
Three different groups of researchers, led by Giancarlo Cusumano, Joshua Haislip, and Nobuyuki Kawai respectively, carried out the investigation of the phenomenon and presented their results in Nature magazine on March 9, 2006.