– The James Webb Space Telescope observed the aftermath of the most powerful cosmic explosion since the Big Bang, known as the BOAT (Brightest Of All Time) gamma-ray burst.
– The BOAT burst was detected on October 9, 2022 and came from a source 2.4 billion light years away. It released photons with more energy than observed inside the Large Hadron Collider.
– Webb observed the source using its NIRSpec instrument and found signatures of elements like oxygen and calcium, indicating the explosion was a supernova from a collapsing giant star.
– However, heavier elements like those above iron were absent. Supernovas are thought to produce heavy metals like gold and platinum but this one did not, presenting a mystery.
– The supernova itself was average brightness but the gamma-ray burst was extremely intense, possibly due to material being funneled into a narrow relativistic jet.
– Researchers will use Webb to study other supernovas to better understand conditions for heavy element production and what made the BOAT so unusual.
Source: livescience
