Transient astronomical event
Encyclopedia
A transient astronomical event, often simply called in context by astronomers a transient, is an astronomical object
or phenomenon
which can be observed for a short period of time. Singularly, the term is used for violent deep sky
events such as supernovae and gamma ray bursts.
Astronomical object
Astronomical objects or celestial objects are naturally occurring physical entities, associations or structures that current science has demonstrated to exist in the observable universe. The term astronomical object is sometimes used interchangeably with astronomical body...
or phenomenon
Phenomenon
A phenomenon , plural phenomena, is any observable occurrence. Phenomena are often, but not always, understood as 'appearances' or 'experiences'...
which can be observed for a short period of time. Singularly, the term is used for violent deep sky
Deep sky
Deep-sky objects are astronomical objects other than individual stars and solar system objects . The classification is used for the most part by amateur astronomers to denote visually observed faint naked eye and telescopic objects such as star clusters, nebulae and galaxies.-Origins and...
events such as supernovae and gamma ray bursts.
See also
- Gamma-ray burst
- List of gamma-ray bursts
- Soft X-ray transientSoft X-ray transientSoft X-ray transients are composed of some type of compact object and some type of "normal", low mass star . These objects show changing levels of low-energy, or "soft", X-ray emission, probably produced somehow by variable transfer of mass from the normal star to the compact object...
- Visibly dark X-ray source
- X-ray bursterX-ray bursterX-ray bursters are one class of X-ray binary stars exhibiting periodic and rapid increases in luminosity peaked in the X-ray regime of the electromagnetic spectrum...
- X-ray pulsarX-ray pulsarX-ray pulsars or accretion-powered pulsars are a class of astronomical objects that are X-ray sources displaying strict periodic variations in X-ray intensity...
- X-ray transientX-ray transientX-ray emission occurs from many celestial objects. These emissions can have a pattern, occur intermittently, or as a transient astronomical event. In X-ray astronomy many sources have been discovered by placing an X-ray detector above the Earth's atmosphere. Often, the first X-ray source discovered...