NASA shows photo of the birth of a black hole after a powerful gamma-ray burst

Black holes are one of the most mysterious objects in the universe. It is impossible to fully study them, because nothing that has fallen inside, even light, can get out. However, it is known for certain how they are born - it happens after a giant star explodes.

And NASA observed such a birth with its own eyes in early October. We are talking about a gamma-ray burst (signal GRB221009A) that occurred in the constellation Sagittarius. It was recorded by the Fermilab gamma-ray observatory. This was reported by Physics World.

The event could be observed for more than 10 hours, and the flare was very bright. It even blinded the sensors on some NASA satellites. This intensity is explained by the fact that the collapse of the star occurred relatively close to us - on the scale of the universe, of course. Scientists estimate the distance of the outburst at about 1.9 billion light years.

The scientists managed to obtain so much data that they were able to create a GIF animation of the flare. They also created an X-ray image of it, which shows rings of cosmic dust flying away from the explosion site.

The photons from the signal detected by the sensors had an energy of more than 100 million electron volts, while for visible light this figure is about 2 electron volts. It was found that the flash was so strong that it ionized the Earth's atmosphere and caused interference with long-wave radio communications. Its effects will be felt for weeks to come.

During the same period, scientists hope to get the most complete picture of the event. But the supernova itself, which was formed as a result of the explosion, will be visible only in February. Its position is now shifting so that the signal source passes behind the Sun. It creates obstacles for observations. This period will end at the end of winter.

Scientists hope to obtain more data on how stars collapse and black holes are born from observing the GRB221009A signal. The event will also help to study how much mass of matter is ejected into space during a star explosion. It is also likely to reveal new details about the origin of heavy chemical elements. To collect as much data as possible about this outburst, about 50 telescopes, including the Hubble and James Webb orbiting telescopes, are currently pointing at the area of its origin.