Wednesday, May 20, 2026

A Supercharged Supernova Discovered | NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope

A Supercharged Supernova Discovered | NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope

Gamma rays detected by NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope gave scientists a look under the hood of a rare supernova that produced much more light than normal. 

The Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope (FGST), formerly called the Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST), is a space observatory being used to perform gamma-ray astronomy observations from low Earth orbit. Its main instrument is the Large Area Telescope (LAT). This is being used to perform an all-sky survey studying astrophysical and cosmological phenomena, such as active galactic nuclei, pulsars, other high-energy sources and dark matter. Another instrument aboard Fermi, the Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM), is being utilized to study gamma-ray bursts and solar flares.

Fermi, named for high-energy physics pioneer Enrico Fermi, was launched in 2008. The mission is a joint venture of NASA, the United States Department of Energy, and government agencies in France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Sweden. It is the most sensitive gamma-ray telescope on orbit, succeeding INTEGRAL. The project is a recognized CERN experiment (RE7).


Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Scientific Visualization Studio
Sophia Roberts (eMITS): Lead Producer
Francis Reddy (University of Maryland College Park): Lead Writer
Jonathan North (eMITS): Lead Animator
Elizabeth Hays (NASA/GSFC): Scientist
Fabio Acero (University of Saclay): Scientist
Duration: 1 minute, 46 seconds
Release Date: May 20, 2026

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #NeutronStars #Magnetars #Supernovae #GammaRays #Astrophysics #Fermi #FGST #SpaceTelescopes #Cosmos #Universe #GSFC #DOE #UnitedStates #Europe #Japan #STEM #Education #HD #Video

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