2003 SPACE SCIENCE VIDEOTAPES |
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Tape Title | Record ID | Date Produced | TRT: |
Synopsis |
| GAMMA RAY BURST REVEALS DEATH, BIRTH, AND OTHER SURPRISES
| G03-022 | 03/19/03 | 00:08:48 | Scientists have captured the spectacular death cry of an exploding star. The explosion resulted in the release of powerful jets of gamma rays, which were detected by NASAís High Energy Transient Explorer (HETE). Scientists say the biggest explosions in the Universe are larger than previously believed and that the collapsed star may have resulted in the birth of a brand new spinning black hole. These results appear in the March 20, 2003 issue of Nature.
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TAPE CONTENTS: |
| ITEM (1): Gamma Ray Burst Death Cry of an Exploding Star - Scientists have captured the spectacular death cry of an exploding star. The explosion resulted in the release of powerful jets of gamma rays, which were detected by HETE. Scientists say the biggest explosions in the Universe are larger than previously believed and that the collapsed star may have resulted in the birth of a brand new spinning black hole.
Courtesy: NASA
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| ITEM (2a): Death Cry Part 1 - A Wolf-Rayet star in its final hours. Wolf-Rayet stars are extremely massive bluish stars, containing the mass of 10 to 15 suns. These stars burn so brightly that they shed their outer atmosphere, losing mass and becoming extremely hot in the process. The blue-white color of the star indicates that its surface temperature is approximately 50,000 C. Surrounding the star are wisps of gas that have recently been shed from the outer atmosphere.
ITEM (2b): Death Cry Part 2 - Diving through the surface of the Wolf-Rayet star, we come to the stellar core, about 10 percent the size of the whole star. We see shells of iron, oxygen, and carbon in the core, the ash of nuclear burning. This star is now out of fuel. Lacking energy to support its own mass, the core collapses and a black hole forms, pulling in matter. Yet a jet of material escapes through the Polar Regions, perhaps powered by renewed fusion and the spin of the black hole. The animation is nearly in real-time.
ITEM (2c): Death Cry Part 3 - We have now returned to the surface of the star, overlooking one of its poles. The core collapse and jet formation have all happened so quickly that the outer regions of the star have had no time to react they do not even know, yet, that it has happened. However, this region of the star is about to find out. The jet that we saw formed in the very center of the star is just now reaching the stellar surface. As it erupts through the surface and into the open space beyond, the material that it is carrying quickly accelerates to very near the speed of light, blasting outwards into the galaxy.
ITEM (2d): Death Cry Part 4 - The Wolf-Rayet star and its newly formed jets form a more distant perspective. We see that internal collisions of the jet material with itself are releasing energy photons that will eventually be observed as gamma rays by satellites in Earth orbit when the beam is pointed in our direction.
Courtesy: NASA
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| ITEM (3): Erupting Jet - This colorful image displays the jet erupting from the surface of the Wolf-Rayet star 9 seconds after its creating at the center of the star by the accreting black hole, which has a radius comparable to that of the sun. Blue represents regions of low mass concentration, red is denser, with yellow being denser still. Not the blue and red striations behind the head of the jet. These are bounded by internal shocks.
Courtesy: NASA
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| ITEM (4): Breaking Out - This image shows the distribution of energy in the jet as it breaks out of the star. Yellow and orange depict very high energy, which will ultimately make a gamma-ray burst. Blue represents regions of lower energy. The larger angles that pour off the jet will produce x-ray flashes that may be seen more frequently.
Courtesy: NASA
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| ITEM (5): The "Rapid Response" Network Animation - Gamma-ray burst hunters are greatly aided by 3 new developments: fast triggers from orbiting detectors; fast relays to observers worldwide via the Gamma-Ray Burst Coordinates Network; and the fast responses from ground-based robotic telescopes. HETE is the first satellite to provide and distribute accurate burst locations within seconds.
Courtesy: NASA
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| ITEM (6): High-Energy Transient Explorer (HETE) Animation - The High Energy Transient Explorer(HETE), a small scientific satellite, was designed to detect and localize gamma-ray bursts. This GRB was detected by HETE and distributed the coordinates to interested ground-based observers around the world within seconds, thereby allowing detailed observations of the initial phase over 50 telescopes in all. HETE-2 was successfully launched on October 9, 2000.
Courtesy: NASA
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| ITEM (7): Understanding Gamma Ray Bursts (GRB's) Animation - Gamma rays are mysterious and fleeting flashes of high-energy radiation. They shine hundreds of times brighter than a supernova, or as bright as a million trillion suns! The bursts are common, yet random and fleeting lasting from a few milliseconds to 100 seconds.
Courtesy: NASA
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| ITEM (8): Spinning Black Hole - Gamma rays are mysterious and fleeting flashes of high-energy radiation. They shine hundreds of times brighter than a supernova, or as bright as a million trillion suns. The bursts are common, random, and fleeting. They typically last from a few milliseconds to 100 seconds.
Courtesy: NASA
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