The Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, launched in 1991, used scintillators to record gamma rays from astronomical events such as gamma-ray bursts and thunderclouds. It discovered soft gamma repeaters, believed to be magnetars, and completed a survey of pulsars and supernova remnants before being deorbited in 2000.
The Compton Gamma Ray Observatory is a space telescope designed to receive gamma rays, ultra-high-energy, short-wavelength electromagnetic radiation produced by subatomic particle interactions, such as electron-positron annihilation and radioactive decay. The Compton Gamma Ray Observatory was launched on April 5, 1991 as part of NASA’s Great Observatories program. Compton was the second of the Grand Observatories to be launched, after the Hubble Space Telescope and before the Chandra X-ray Observatory and Spitzter Space Telescope.
Unfortunately, in 2000, one of Compton’s gyroscopes failed and the craft had to be deorbited, with some controversy. Launched on Space Shuttle Atlantis, Compton was the heaviest payload ever launched at the time, weighing in at 17,000 kg (37,500 lbs).
Compton used scintillators to record incoming gamma rays, released in large quantities during astronomical events called gamma-ray bursts, mysterious phenomena that occur in seemingly random areas of deep space, billions of light-years away. Gamma-ray bursts are very short, lasting only milliseconds to minutes, but during that time they can release more energy than an entire galaxy. The current theory is that gamma-ray bursts are generated when protogalaxies collapse into supermassive black holes, the galaxy’s material releasing its gravitational potential energy in the form of electromagnetic radiation.
The Compton Gamma Ray Observatory is famous for having discovered a phenomenon known as a soft gamma repeater, similar to gamma ray bursts but with lower intensity and in a cyclical way. The current theory is that soft gamma repeaters are magnetars, a type of neutron star with a powerful magnetic field. These objects release jets of gamma rays from their north and south poles. When one of these poles points towards Earth, we collect gamma rays.
In 1994, Compton discovered a new terrestrial source of gamma rays: thunderclouds. During her time in the service, Compton also completed a survey of pulsars and supernova remnants.
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