Now Reading: US satellites hunting nuke tests found first gamma-ray burst
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US satellites hunting nuke tests found first gamma-ray burst
In July 1967, US Vela 3 and Vela 4 satellites, designed to detect secret nuclear tests under the Test Ban Treaty, accidentally detected brief flashes of gamma rays from space. The discovery,…
The Story in Brief
In July 1967, US Vela 3 and Vela 4 satellites, designed to detect secret nuclear tests under the Test Ban Treaty, accidentally detected brief flashes of gamma rays from space. The discovery, published in 1973, was initially baffling, scientists could not identify the source. Over decades, observations from NASA's Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (1991) and the BeppoSAX satellite (1997) revealed that gamma-ray bursts come from billions of light-years away, linked to the deaths of massive stars forming black holes. These bursts can release in seconds energy equivalent to a supernova, with peak luminosities a billion times brighter than the brightest supernovas.
The Indian Opinion
Tales of accidental discoveries often get romanticised, but this one deserves its awe. The Vela satellites, built for Cold War vigilance, stumbled upon something far bigger: cosmic explosions that outshine entire galaxies. The popular narrative that science advances only through deliberate design misses the serendipity that drives real breakthroughs. What matters now is not the origin story but what we still don't know. After decades, can we predict where the next burst will come from, or must we keep waiting for blind luck to teach us again?
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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