Fermi Telescope Boosts Terrestrial Gamma-Ray Flashes Monitoring
Thursday, December 6, 2012 - 15:10
in Astronomy & Space
The Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) on NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope is now 10 times better at catching the brief outbursts of high-energy light, known as terrestrial gamma-ray flashes (TGFs),mysteriously produced above thunderstorms. Terrestrial gamma-ray flashes last only a few thousandths of a second but their gamma rays rank among the highest-energy light that naturally occurs on Earth. The enhanced GBM discovery rate helped scientists show most TGFs also generate a strong burst of radio waves, a finding that will change how scientists study this poorly understood phenomenon. read more