Russian astronomers were the first in the world to detect the optical afterglow of gamma-ray burst GRB 260604C — a glow that appears after one of the most powerful events in the Universe. The robotic telescopes of the MASTER MSU Global Robotic Network began observing the burst region just 68 and 121 seconds after receiving the notification.
A gamma-ray burst is a powerful release of energy in the form of gamma radiation. For a short time, such an event can be brighter than an entire galaxy, which is why such flashes can be observed even from vast distances in the Universe.
Gamma-ray bursts are usually associated with the collapse of very massive and rapidly rotating stars. In fact, it is the death of such a star, accompanied by a powerful release of energy.
GRB 260604C itself was also recorded by the Fermi/GBM and SVOM space observatories. After receiving the signal, Russian telescopes automatically pointed their observations to the desired area of the sky.
Thanks to the rapid response of MASTER MSU, it was possible to be the first to register a new optical source — a glow that appears after a gamma-ray burst and quickly fades. Later observations by other telescopes confirmed that it was indeed a rapidly decaying optical afterglow.
The data was obtained by GOTO, LAST, Kilonova-Catcher, and the Liverpool Telescope. The observations also helped to refine the event's light curve, i.e., how the afterglow's brightness changed over time.
For astrophysicists, such a glow is of particular interest. It can be used to refine the physics of the outflow, the properties of the environment, and the geometry of the jet.