Brightest known gamma-ray burst caused by stellar explosion

Nov. 21 (UPI) -- Astronomers have finally determined the brightest Gamma-ray Burst (GRB) ever recorded, captured earlier this year by the Swift satellite, was cause by a powerful stellar explosion.

Researchers at the University of Leicester have attributed this rare phenomenon to an extremely powerful stellar explosion, and published their findings in Science.

An explosion produced a jet of matter moving close to the speed of light, formed when a star collapsed leaving a black hole at its center. The blast wave caused the rest of the star to expand outward and produce a glowing shell of debris.

"We normally detect GRBs at great distance, meaning they usually appear quite faint. In this case the burst happened only a quarter of the way across the Universe meaning it was very bright," said Paul O'Brien of the University of Leicester's Department of Physics and Astronomy.

Although the GRB happened a quarter of the way across the universe, it is closer than previously recorded GRBs. The phenomenon was brighter than usual because the GRB caused a supernova, both considered to be the brightest objects in nature.

"The rapid reaction of Swift has enabled us to discover many new and unexpected aspects of GRBs, the strong confirmation of the basic theory by this new very bright burst reassures us that we are on the right track in understanding these extraordinary explosions," said Julian Osborne, team leader of the Swift satellite.