Northwestern University has confirmed that GRB 221009A, the brightest gamma-ray burst ever recorded, resulted from the collapse and explosion of a massive star. However, the study found no traces of heavy elements like gold and platinum, leaving astronomers puzzled about their origin.
Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) stand as the most potent and violent explosions in the known universe, emitting light up to a quintillion times brighter than the Sun. Initially discovered by chance, these bursts are now believed to signify the formation of black holes.
GRB 221009A, dubbed B.O.A.T or the “brightest of all time,” occurred in October 2022, catching the attention of researchers worldwide. Utilizing the James Webb Space Telescope, scientists from Northwestern University and collaborating institutions confirmed its origin as the collapse and subsequent explosion of a massive star. However, this revelation has triggered a new enigma.
While speculation abounded that newly-discovered supernovae might yield evidence of heavy metals such as platinum and gold, the extensive examination using the James Webb Space Telescope failed to uncover any such traces. The elusive formation of heavy elements remains a paramount mystery in astronomy.
Peter Blanchard, leading the study at Northwestern, remarked, “When we confirmed that the GRB was generated by the collapse of a massive star, that gave us the opportunity to test a hypothesis for how some of the heaviest elements in the universe are formed. We did not see signatures of these heavy elements, suggesting that extremely energetic GRBs like the B.O.A.T. do not produce these elements.”
Despite the lack of evidence in GRB 221009A, Blanchard emphasized the importance of continued observation with the James Webb Space Telescope to ascertain whether less intense GRBs may play a role in heavy element production.
B.O.A.T’s brilliance saturated gamma-ray detectors upon passing through Earth on October 9, 2022. Occurring about 2 billion light-years away in the constellation Sagitta, the explosion lasted mere hundreds of seconds, leaving a lasting impact on astronomical understanding.
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