They're Here, They're There, They're Everywhere !
Gamma Ray Bursts ! (A Double Feature)

Gamma Ray bursts are the most powerful explosions which take place in the universe. They were first discovered in the late 1960's. For many years scientists puzzled over how far away they are and what causes them. The BATSE instrument on the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory observes these bursts about once a day, uniformly distributed throughout the sky. This suggested that the bursts occur very far away, but how far still remained a mystery.

In 1997, the Beppo-SAX satellite, along with ground based observatories, made the discoveries which transformed our understanding of these brilliant flashes of gamma rays. Beppo-Sax employed a technique using a special aperture mask to determine the location of the bursts. The first video of our double feature explains what scientists then discovered.

QuickTime format (11 MB)
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QuickTime format (7 MB)
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(text)
from "Swift is ...", words and music by Padi Boyd,
arranged by Padi Boyd, Alan Smale, Karen Smale, and Deb Nixon.
Sung by The Chromatics.