This image from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope NIRCam instrument highlights Gamma-Ray Burst (GRB) 230307A and its associated kilonova, as well as its former home galaxy, among their local environment of other galaxies and foreground stars. Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, A. Levan (Radboud University and University of Warwick).
Key points:
- Using space and ground-based telescopes, a team of scientists observed the second-brightest gamma ray burst—GRB 230307A.
- NASA’s Webb telescope detected the rare element tellurium in the aftermath of the gamma ray burst.
- Using satellites and telescopes in a complimentary manner opens new possibilities for observing changes in the universe and finding rare heavy elements.
New research, published in Nature, is finally helping scientists understand the production of rare heavy elements. Although scientists have long theorized that extremely rare kilonovas—explosions produced by a neutron star merging with a black hole or other neutron star – created some of the rarer elements in the universe, finding evidence has been challenging.
Now, a team of scientists, using multiple space and ground-based telescopes, observed a bright gamma-ray burst—GRB 230307A. One of the telescopes, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, also helped scientist detect the rare element tellurium in the aftermath of the explosion.
The convergence of advanced telescope technology with the right conditions allowed scientists to piece together information about changes in the universe. GRB 230307A, the second brightest gamma-ray burst ever observed, lasted for a long 200 second duration. Upon its detection, a series of observations from the ground and space identified the source on the sky and tracked changes in brightness.
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, equipped with Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) and Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSPec) capabilities, located the two neutron stars that created the kilonova. In the future, researchers hope to continue using space and ground-based telescopes in a complementary way to find more kilonovae and study changes in the universe.
“Webb provides a phenomenal boost and may find even heavier elements,” said co-author Ben Gompertz of the University of Birmingham. “As we get more frequent observations, the models will improve and the spectrum may evolve more in time. Webb has certainly opened the door to do a lot more, and its abilities will be completely transformative for our understanding of the universe.”