A couple of weeks ago, I participated on a very deep optical observation at the position of the gamma-ray burst GRB 090709A with the 10.4 m Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC). This observation is important on two fronts. One, this is the first astrophysical circular based on images obtained with the newly-minted telescope. And two, GRB 090709A is quite an interesting event that has revealed quasi-periodic oscillations in its gamma-ray light curve. The detection of oscillations implies that we have either detected the compact object (in this case a neutron star) responsible for gamma-ray explosions. Or alternatively, given the non-detection of a host galaxy on the GRB 090709A GTC image, that we caught a galactic transient well above the plane of our own Galaxy. Exciting results either way.
Monday, July 27, 2009
GRB GTC
A couple of weeks ago, I participated on a very deep optical observation at the position of the gamma-ray burst GRB 090709A with the 10.4 m Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC). This observation is important on two fronts. One, this is the first astrophysical circular based on images obtained with the newly-minted telescope. And two, GRB 090709A is quite an interesting event that has revealed quasi-periodic oscillations in its gamma-ray light curve. The detection of oscillations implies that we have either detected the compact object (in this case a neutron star) responsible for gamma-ray explosions. Or alternatively, given the non-detection of a host galaxy on the GRB 090709A GTC image, that we caught a galactic transient well above the plane of our own Galaxy. Exciting results either way.
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