O que brilha no céu em raios gama?
A resposta é normalmente os que são os ambientes astrofísicos mais exóticos energéticos, como galáxias ativas energizadas por buracos negros supermassivos, ou pulsares incrivelmente densos, que são os restos giratórios de estrelas que explodiram.
Mas, em 7 de março, uma potente labareda solar, uma de uma série de erupções solares recentes, dominou o céu da raios gama a enerias até 1 bilhão de vezes a que se observa nos fótons de luz visível.
Estes dois painéis ilustram a intensidade daquela labareda solar em imganes de todo o céu registradas pelo Telescópio Espacial Fermi de Raios Gama.
Em 6 de março, como na maioria dos dias, o Sol estava quase invisível aos detectores de imagens do Fermi. Mas durante a energética labareda da classe X, ele se tornou quase 100 vezes mais brilhante que até mesmo o Pulsar Vela em energias de raios gama.
Agora, esmaecido na visão do Fermi, o Sol irá provavelmente brilhar novamente no céu de raios gama quando o ciclo de atividade solar se aproxima do seu máximo.
What shines in the gamma-ray sky?
The answer is usually the most exotic and energetic of astrophysical environments, like active galaxies powered by supermassive black holes, or incredibly dense pulsars, the spinning remnants of exploded stars.
But on March 7, a powerful solar flare, one of a series of recent solar eruptions, dominated the gamma-ray sky at energies up to 1 billion times the energy of visible light photons. These two panels illustrate the intensity of that solar flare in all-sky images recorded by the orbiting Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope.
On March 6, as on most days, the Sun was almost invisible to Fermi's imaging detectors. But during the energetic X-class flare, it became nearly 100 times brighter than even the Vela Pulsar at gamma-ray energies.
Now faded in Fermi's view, the Sun will likely shine again in the gamma-ray sky as the solar activity cycle approaches its maximum.
The answer is usually the most exotic and energetic of astrophysical environments, like active galaxies powered by supermassive black holes, or incredibly dense pulsars, the spinning remnants of exploded stars.
But on March 7, a powerful solar flare, one of a series of recent solar eruptions, dominated the gamma-ray sky at energies up to 1 billion times the energy of visible light photons. These two panels illustrate the intensity of that solar flare in all-sky images recorded by the orbiting Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope.
On March 6, as on most days, the Sun was almost invisible to Fermi's imaging detectors. But during the energetic X-class flare, it became nearly 100 times brighter than even the Vela Pulsar at gamma-ray energies.
Now faded in Fermi's view, the Sun will likely shine again in the gamma-ray sky as the solar activity cycle approaches its maximum.
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