WEBVTT FILE

1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.416
[Music throughout]

2
00:00:02.416 --> 00:00:05.500
Looking for a new vacation spot?

3
00:00:05.916 --> 00:00:10.583
[Facetiously] I've heard that gamma-ray bursts are beautiful this time of year.

4
00:00:13.083 --> 00:00:18.000
No...oh, no, no, no, no, I was just..., no

5
00:00:18.000 --> 00:00:23.500
No, they're far too dangerous!  With deadly gamma radiation?

6
00:00:24.083 --> 00:00:29.583
[Audible sigh] So you're really going to go?

7
00:00:29.583 --> 00:00:33.500
Then you need to know a few things first.

8
00:00:33.500 --> 00:00:40.583
A gamma-ray burst is a ... giant ... burst ... of ... gamma rays,

9
00:00:40.583 --> 00:00:43.166
the highest-energy form of light

10
00:00:43.166 --> 00:00:47.666
They mostly come from either two neutron stars crashing together ...

11
00:00:47.666 --> 00:00:51.166
... or a massive star collapsing in on itself.

12
00:00:51.250 --> 00:00:57.583
Both likely form black holes that blast out a pair of cones of superfast, superhot material.

13
00:00:57.583 --> 00:01:02.416
These jets emit the gamma rays that give gamma-ray bursts their name.

14
00:01:03.166 --> 00:01:08.666
If you're in the path of that cone — even very, very far away — you see a gamma-ray burst!

15
00:01:08.666 --> 00:01:10.666
Not in the cone?

16
00:01:10.666 --> 00:01:12.666
No gamma-ray burst.

17
00:01:12.833 --> 00:01:15.333
But the show isn't over yet!

18
00:01:15.583 --> 00:01:18.666
As that cone rams into the stuff around it,

19
00:01:18.833 --> 00:01:22.416
there's another display across the whole range of light,

20
00:01:22.416 --> 00:01:25.500
from radio waves to gamma rays

21
00:01:25.583 --> 00:01:29.250
Well, and there's other possible light shows too ...

22
00:01:29.416 --> 00:01:34.500
the supernova from the collapsing star, or a kilonova from the merger ...

23
00:01:34.583 --> 00:01:37.500
but you get the idea, it's a brilliant display.

24
00:01:37.666 --> 00:01:41.333
Now, gamma-ray bursts may be the brightest show in town,

25
00:01:41.333 --> 00:01:45.083
but knowing when and where to look can be tricky.

26
00:01:45.083 --> 00:01:46.916
Over at Earth,

27
00:01:47.083 --> 00:01:50.833
er, also known as Glerbax-29 d ...

28
00:01:50.916 --> 00:01:52.666
depending on where you're from ...

29
00:01:52.750 --> 00:01:57.250
gamma-ray detectors monitor the whole sky to find these unpredictable events.

30
00:01:57.500 --> 00:02:03.083
But if you want to visit one, you'll need to find it BEFORE that blast of gamma rays.

31
00:02:03.083 --> 00:02:06.250
First you need to decide which type you want to see.

32
00:02:06.250 --> 00:02:11.083
The initial burst from the crashing stars lasts just a couple seconds or less,

33
00:02:11.083 --> 00:02:15.000
while the collapsing star can have a burst lasting minutes.

34
00:02:15.000 --> 00:02:19.916
But timing your visit to the collapsing star might be a problem,

35
00:02:19.916 --> 00:02:21.750
unless you're willing to wait,

36
00:02:21.750 --> 00:02:23.416
a long time,

37
00:02:23.416 --> 00:02:25.750
like reallllly long.

38
00:02:25.833 --> 00:02:30.083
We know of quite a few stars that collapse ... "soon,"

39
00:02:30.083 --> 00:02:35.416
but that could mean a day, a year, a million years or more!

40
00:02:35.750 --> 00:02:41.666
Predicting when the stars will crash is a bit easier if you're willing to do a little homework.

41
00:02:41.666 --> 00:02:45.416
Just find a close pair of orbiting neutron stars,

42
00:02:45.416 --> 00:02:50.416
watch them for a few orbits, add some math, and you can predict when they'll crash.

43
00:02:51.333 --> 00:02:55.916
Now, before you run off, make sure you have what you need to keep yourself from

44
00:02:55.916 --> 00:02:58.833
from getting blasted by those gamma rays.

45
00:02:58.916 --> 00:03:02.333
Earth, er, Glerbax-29 d,

46
00:03:02.500 --> 00:03:07.250
has an atmosphere that shields the planet, and its inhabitants, from gamma rays.

47
00:03:08.333 --> 00:03:14.083
And you'll need to be able to detect light in all its forms if you want to see the full show

48
00:03:15.750 --> 00:03:18.666
Of course, all of this doesn't account for the fact that

49
00:03:18.666 --> 00:03:21.583
gamma-ray bursts don't happen nearby —

50
00:03:22.166 --> 00:03:26.416
the closest so far was over 100 million light years away,

51
00:03:26.416 --> 00:03:28.333
and most are billions,

52
00:03:28.333 --> 00:03:31.916
so you'll need to find a galaxy where this is more likely.

53
00:03:32.250 --> 00:03:35.833
But it looks like you've worked all of that out.

54
00:03:36.250 --> 00:03:39.083
So, keep in mind these tips and tricks,

55
00:03:39.166 --> 00:03:43.916
and go enjoy the universe's most spectacular fireworks display.

56
00:03:45.333 --> 00:03:46.083
[Sighs]