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Biggest gamma ray burst ever recorded witnessed by astronomers.

  • Gamma ray bursts are the last dying throes of a star

  • “The monster” was the biggest “bang” in recorded history

 The biggest gamma ray burst in recorded history was spotted by astronomers last spring.  According to researchers, if it had been closer to Earth, we would have been fried, however the explosion took place 3.7 billion light years from Earth.  If we had been closer to this explosion, our atmosphere would have instantly dissipated, and our planet would become a charred chunk of sediment floating in space.
A gamma ray burst is a dying star’s last glimmer.  The massive explosion is highly energetic and can be seen from extreme distances.  Gamma ray bursts are reportedly the brightest electromagnetic events in the universe.  This gamma ray burst just happened to be the biggest explosion in recorded history aside from the Big Bang.
Astronomers have had their eyes in the sky turned towards this dying star for over 20 years; however the final dying burst was witnessed in April.  NASA astrophysicist Paul Hertz said, “This burst was a once-in-a-century cosmic event.”  Thankfully, the probability of an explosion occurring near enough Earth to destroy it is close to none, however even though we have the capability to detect such an event, were it to happen, there wouldn’t be anything we could do to escape our fate.  Cue every apocalypse movie you’ve ever seen.
Two main factors contributed to the epic proportions of this gamma ray blast.  Firstly, it was twice as close to us than most of the other explosions seen.  Second, it was bigger than any seen that were closer.  It is possible that other, larger explosions have occurred, however distance also plays a part in their epicness as seen by us.
If you are hoping to catch sight of one of these monster eruptions, you might just be able to.  This gamma ray burst was so big, it was visible to telescopes on Earth.