NASA’s Traveler Visits a GRB – GIF Collection
Gamma-ray bursts are observed about once a day from Earth, but it’s hard to predict when one will happen, because there are a lot of different factors at play.
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
August 28, 2025
| Credit | NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center |
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| Historical Date | June 1, 2023 |
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Our intrepid Traveler is planning a visit to a gamma-ray burst, the universe’s most powerful explosions. Below, you can join in the fun, learn a little about these cosmic fireworks displays, and download your own GIFs to commemorate the trip.
Some gamma-ray bursts come from two neutron stars that spiral into each other and crash. These are called short gamma-ray bursts.
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
One type of gamma-ray burst comes from large stars at the ends of their lives. Their cores collapse and they explode in supernovae. These are called long gamma-ray bursts.
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Earth’s atmosphere shields us from the gamma rays produced by gamma-ray bursts.
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
We have detectors on a lot of spacecraft watching the entire sky to catch gamma-ray bursts, and they alert other telescopes to take a look when one happens.
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
We can learn about stars, black holes, and much more from gamma-ray bursts, which are among the brightest light shows in the universe. Here, NASA’s Traveler watches one from the safety of their rocket ship.
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Our Traveler would like to watch a star explode in the hopes of seeing a gamma-ray burst. However, predicting when a star will go supernova is really hard. Even if we know of a star that could explode “soon,” that could be a day, a week, a year, a million years, or more!
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center