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mieral
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Is it true gamma ray burst diameter can be as big as the solar system and the sky would become bright with its light even if it is 4000 light years away? Saw this at History Channel.
rootone said:What?
That makes no sense at all unless the source of the burst is inside the solar system ...
Edit:
If a supernova or something similar happened close to the solar system we would see a very bright point of light.
rootone said:If that is so he is being melodramatic.
The only way something like that could happen is a supernova very near the solar system.
Unless there are very large stars close to us the we somehow didn't notice, that is not going to happen.
Would not any electromagnetic wavefront from a point source proagate in 4 pi steradian? And if we could see it as light could it not encompass the whole Solar system and be seen from anywhere within? Perhaps the poster meant encompass when he said engulf.rootone said:What?
That makes no sense at all unless the source of the burst is inside the solar system ...
Edit:
If a supernova or something similar happened close to the solar system we would see one very bright point of light.
Most of the stars near the solar system are dull unexciting things though.
A gamma ray burst is a short, intense burst of gamma rays, which are the most energetic form of electromagnetic radiation. They can last anywhere from milliseconds to minutes and are thought to be caused by the collapse of massive stars or the merging of two neutron stars.
The diameter of a gamma ray burst can vary greatly, but they are typically very small compared to other astronomical objects. The average diameter is estimated to be around 10 light years, which is equivalent to about 60 trillion miles.
Gamma ray bursts are measured using specialized instruments called gamma ray telescopes. These telescopes are designed to detect and measure the high energy gamma rays emitted during a burst.
No, gamma ray bursts cannot be seen with the naked eye. They emit radiation at wavelengths that are invisible to the human eye. However, some bursts can be detected by satellites and then observed at other wavelengths, such as visible light, which can be seen by the naked eye.
Fortunately, the chances of a gamma ray burst occurring close enough to Earth to cause any harm are extremely low. However, if a burst were to occur within our own galaxy, it could potentially have devastating effects on Earth's atmosphere and life forms.