The BOAT: A Cosmic Firework Like No Other The Hubble Space Telescope captured the infrared afterglow (circled) of the gamma-ray burst known as GRB 221009A and its host galaxy.

The top panel shows the power-law evolution of the energy of gamma-ray line in GRB 221009A, while the prompt emission and afterglow are plotted in the bottom panel.

The gamma-ray burst GRB 221009A was so far off the charts for these events that we would only expect to see something this bright once every thousand years. Naturally, astronomers expected some ...

In October 2022, an international team of researchers, including Northwestern University astrophysicists, observed the brightest gamma-ray burst (GRB) ever recorded, GRB 221009A.

However this GRB, dubbed GRB 221009A, was deemed so exceptional that astronomers said it was the brightest of all time (Boat) since the beginning of human civilisation.

Scientists didn't miss the BOAT The BOAT, officially designated GRB 221009A, was first spotted on Oct. 9, 2022, and it immediately stood out from other GRBs due to its extreme nature.

GRB 221009A is the brightest GRB ever observed and was found to be initiated by the collapse of a massive star, which is more than 20 times heavier than the Sun when its nuclear fuel ran out.

Eventually the afterglow fades away over days or years. Astronomers captured the prompt signal of GRB 221009A with multiple telescopes, and the afterglow across more than 100 other detectors.

The explosion, dubbed GRB 221009A, is so far the most powerful explosion astronomers have ever uncovered, save for the Big Bang itself.

The gamma-ray burst officially known as GRB 221009A, but better known as the BOAT, is believed to have erupted when a massive star collapsed into a black hole.