AstroSat Space Telescope Detects 600th Gamma-Ray Burst

November 29, 2023

India’s AstroSat space telescope has reached a significant milestone by detecting its 600th Gamma-Ray Burst (GRB), showcasing the sustained performance of its Cadmium Zinc Telluride Imager (CZTI) eight years post-launch. Gamma-Ray Bursts, representing the demise of massive stars or neutron star mergers, pack an immense amount of energy, often surpassing the sun’s total lifetime emissions in a matter of seconds.

Undiminished Performance of CZTI

Dipankar Bhattacharya, the principal investigator for CZTI, expressed satisfaction with the continued excellent performance of the instrument. “The detection of the 600th GRB is a great demonstration of the continued undiminished performance of Cadmium Zinc Telluride Imager (CZTI) eight years after launch, and well after its design lifetime,” Bhattacharya stated.

Gamma-Ray Bursts: Cosmic Fireworks

GRBs release an extraordinary amount of energy, earning them the nickname “mini big-bangs.” They can last from a fraction of a second to several minutes, and their occurrence is associated with either the death of massive stars or the merger of neutron stars. These cosmic fireworks emit energy comparable to the sun’s entire lifetime output.

AstroSat’s Ongoing Contributions

Launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in 2015, AstroSat was initially designed for a five-year mission. However, it has exceeded expectations and is still operational, making valuable observations. AstroSat is India’s first dedicated multi-wavelength space observatory, equipped with a suite of payloads allowing simultaneous observations across various wavelengths, from ultraviolet to X-rays.

Observation of the 600th GRB

The CZTI detector on AstroSat observed the 600th GRB on November 22. The observation data has been shared with astronomers and researchers worldwide, offering insights for their studies. Gaurav Waratkar, a PhD student at IIT Bombay leading the study of GRBs with AstroSat, expressed excitement about examining data from explosions that occurred billions of years ago.

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