--- title: "Scientists Spot Brightest Energy Burst Ever Detected in Space" description: "Scientists have discovered the brightest energy burst ever detected in space — and Astronomy Twitter is abuzz over the electrifying finding. " date: "2022-10-15" modified: "2022-10-15" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/scientists-discover-brightest-grb-space-burst" categories: - "Energy" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "Fermi" - "gamma ray burst" - "grbs" - "the digest" --- # Scientists Spot Brightest Energy Burst Ever Detected in Space ![Scientists have discovered the brightest energy burst ever detected in space — and Astronomy Twitter is abuzz over the electrifying finding. ]() *\Image: Getty Images\* ## Super Duper Scientists have discovered the brightest energy burst ever detected in space — and Astronomy Twitter is abuzz over the electrifying finding. As [*Vice* reports](), this uber-bright gamma ray burst (GRB), which are huge bursts of energy that occur during major galactic events such as star deaths, was detected by both NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope and the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory at England's University of Leicester. "Brightest GRB ever just dropped," University of Alabama astrophysicist [Marcos Santander tweeted](). Phil Evans, an astronomer at the U of Leicester that works with the Swift Gamma Ray Burst satellite to find this exact sort of thing, was even more hyperbolic. "It's bright. Really bright. Like, stupidly really bright," [he tweeted](). "It turns out my analysis codes weren't really built for things this bright." ## BFDs In emails with *Vice*, Evans emphasized just how big a deal this newly-found GRB is — and how long it's going to take to fully grasp its importance. Dubbed GRB 221009A, this burst is "clearly the brightest GRB we've seen in X-rays, at least at the time after the initial explosion that we’ve observed it," the astronomer told *Vice*. "The new GRB 221009A is something around 1,000 times brighter than the typical GRB and a few hundred times brighter than the brightest ones seen before — but this is only true in X-rays," he continued. "In gamma-rays it is one of the brightest seen (according to the report from the Fermi telescope team)." Qualifiers aside, it's clear from the astronomy community's reaction that this GRB is a BFD — and we, like them, love to see it. **More space telescope news:** [*NASA Convenes Experts to Discuss James Webb Camera 'Anomaly'*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()