Earth Gamma Burst

[Minbari]

I believe I saw for the second time last night another gamma ray burst ejects from Earth.

It was only one flash, very few clouds around, and the clouds that where around where thin and none conducive to lightning.

The burst was very short but had about 4 flashes in the space of half a second or less.

It’s truly an Amazing site to see, I had to spend the next hour looking up to check for a re-occurrence, but to no avail.

Is there anywhere on the internet where we can check for instrument observations of these events so I can cross check my findings?

[Bozola]

I believe I saw for the second time last night another gamma ray burst ejects from Earth.

You can see into the gamma ray portion of the spectra? Impressive.

[Minbari]

Well, I think that the clouds must have an affect; this may be why flashes may be visible.

And by the why sarcasm is the lowest form of wit

[Minbari]

Here you go smarty pants Bozola.

It seems that there is reminance of visible light during/after a gamma burst.

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Jan 27, 1999: For the first time, scientists have witnessed the visible light emitted at the same time as a gamma-ray burst, a mysterious explosion in the far reaches of the universe.

"This discovery signals yet another new era in the study of these fantastic objects. It is now shown that they can be observed from the ground, in different wavelength regions, while the main part of the explosion is in progress," said Dr. Jerry Fishman, principal investigator for the Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE), a NASA instrument on board the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory which captured the gamma-ray burst, and alerted other observers.

This particular burst had the power of nearly ten million billion suns, and the light grew so bright that anyone gazing at the night sky could have seen it using only a pair of binoculars. The chances were slim, however, that someone would be looking at that exact point in the sky at 4:47 a.m. EST, on Jan. 23. But thanks to the use of two satellites, a unique ground-based telescope, and the Internet, scientists around the world were able to pinpoint the location of the burst, and to monitor it from start to finish.

[01101001]

OK. I'm really curious about what makes you think the visible light you saw was connected in any way to gamma rays.

[Minbari]

________________________________________
OK. I'm really curious about what makes you think the visible light you saw was connected in any way to gamma rays.
_________________
01101001100101101001011001101001100101100110100101 10100110010110...


Only by mere fact that the last time I observed the same event back 4-5 months ago, there where multiple bursts and the sky was mostly clear around midnight.

The light traveled up/out, the light was far different to any lightning I have observed before in that it flashed with astonishing speed and sub second timing. The next day after I observed this event (and thought hard as to what it could have been) there was a report from NASA explaining that they had observed an Earth generated gamma burst so I put 2 and 2 together and am still of this assumption due to the timing being right on par to my observations.

Just as that article says, the chances are very slim though I seem to be lucky in this respect. I do spend 30% of my days and nights observing the sky.

There is absolutely no possible way that this was connected to a weather lightning event, I’ve seen thousands and thousands of lightning events

The only way I can be absolutely sure of this being the case in this particular circumstance is by finding an internet resource that monitors these events so I can validate/in-validate my observation of this.

There was most certainly a high energy sub second event last night where I live.

[mickal555]

sure it isn't a point meteor(a meteor headinf straight at you) or a satalight flash?

[Minbari]

Unless you have ever heard or known of a satelite that lets of 4 burst of sheet light in sub second timing then no I hardly think so.

Seen plenty of meteorites in my life to know the difference between a meteor, satelite, iridium flash and lightning.

People must think I make this up for fun or something- LOL

If anyone could be kind enough in directing me to an internet resource depecting Earth generated gamma bursts I would most greatly appreciate it.

[mickal555]

sheet light!

I thought you meant a point flash(that's what I heard a GRB might look like)

[01101001]

4 burst of sheet light in sub second timing

I'm still trying to visualize it. The light came from ground, nearby, and illuminated things upward? From one place or more?

Windy enough to get power-line arcing? A flash camera in use somewhere, or strobe light?

Can you describe it better? How would you reproduce it with electric lights/lamps?

Are you looking for something like the BATSE event catalog, but more current? It shouldn 't be hard to find on the Web if it's there. I'm just not in a searching mood.

I saw some info on BATSE terrestrial bursts once, but I think they were associated with clouds, perhaps sprites or jets (upward lighting) above thunderstorms.

Edit: Ah. I recall a name now, not GRB, but TGF -- Terrestrial Gamma-Ray Flash. BATSE TGFs.

[Minbari]

Ah yes, TGF, that’s it! Thanks heaps for the link (-- Terrestrial Gamma-Ray Flash), I will spend some time looking through the data from the various instruments.

Ok I was looking up almost directly over head.

From an observational view point the light appeared visible to my eyes at about an altitude of 5,000 Feet at a very rough guess (being night time it is hard to judge distance with nothing to relate with).

The light was 4 sub second flashes dispearsing across an area of about 20 degrees of sky, there where a few very thin clouds in the sky as I could faintly see stars behind them. The light appeared more intense where the few clouds where (no doubt reflection off the clouds could of intensified that section of the light.

Similar in size and shape to that of sheet lightning though distinctly different in that the flashes where sub second and there has been and wasn’t any thunderstorm clouds around before, during or after this event.

A flash of a camera simply cannot travel thus far nor the apparent speed and magnitude of this.

To fast for a spotlight and spotlights need something to reflect light off to be observable, unless atmospheric conditions are dense, cloud cover or fog.

Sheet lightning, multiple bursts in sub second time traveling away from Earth and radiating slightly outwards.

[frogesque]

From the description of the sheets and the pulsations it could be some form of aurora. I've seen faint sheets that have been directly overhead or apear to emanate from a crown. Colours are usually a milk in water bluish white though I have seen faint red ones as well. If you are an accustomed skywatcher though I would assume you know what an aurora looks like and normally with an overhead crown there's a lot of really colourful activity elsewhere. Last night activity was pretty quiet but it is starting to pick up.

If I may ask Minbari, what is your location/latitude?

[John Kierein]

The Whipple looks for stuff like this. http://linmax.sao.arizona.edu/help/FLWO/whipple.html

On Skylab we used the astronauts eyes to detect cosmic rays. See the end of Chapter 5 here for a writeup. http://history.nasa.gov/SP-404/ch5.htm Dark adapted eyes can record light flashes in orbit. I've never heard of studies done on trying to do this from the ground, but why not?

I wonder if orbiting satellites like Landsat have enough short time resolution and sensitivity to be able to see these? They probably don't look much at night, but maybe we could get them to do that??

I've also had PVDs in my eyes. (posterior vitreal detachments) These caused light flashes in my peripheral vision and lots of floaters. If you don't have floaters we can rule them out.

[John Kierein]

I wonder if Lou Frank's little comets could be secondary radiation from cosmic rays or TGFs? Anybody know if this has been considered?

[eburacum45]

If you did see one of these terrestrial gamma ray flashes, you should be advised that they do appear to be lightning associated phenomena; they are very high in the atmosphere, and certainly like no other lightning you have ever seen.

If you have seen these high energy flashes you are very, very lucky.
There would have been thunderstorms somewhere around, perhaps far away, but you might not have seen them in the dark.

[Gsquare]

I believe I saw for the second time last night another gamma ray burst ejects from Earth.

It was only one flash, very few clouds around, ....

Do you mind me asking the date and exact time of the occurance; and possibly the location?

And were there any thunderstorms in a 50 mile radius? Gammas from sprites can be as energetic (or greater) than CRB's.
http://www.newscientist.com/channel/...mg18524885.400

Also, something not commonly realized. The moon emits gammas with a greater luminosity than the quiet time of the sun. Since the moon has no atmosphere, high energy cosmic ray protons cause secondary reactions at the surface; and one can seen the moon fairly brightly in gamma wavelengths, provided you are above the earth's atmosphere so as not to absorb the gammas....
http://www.airynothing.com/high_ener...rces/moon.html

Hmm; I wonder if the astronauts on the lunar landers had gamma detectors and were aware they were getting an extra dose of gammas from the lunar surface itself!
G^2

[Squink]

perhaps sprites or jets (upward lighting) above thunderstorms.

Or Elves. Don't forget the Elves!
Sprites, Jets and Elves

[mickal555]

From the description of the sheets and the pulsations it could be some form of aurora. I've seen faint sheets that have been directly overhead or apear to emanate from a crown. Colours are usually a milk in water bluish white though I have seen faint red ones as well. If you are an accustomed skywatcher though I would assume you know what an aurora looks like and normally with an overhead crown there's a lot of really colourful activity elsewhere. Last night activity was pretty quiet but it is starting to pick up.

If I may ask Minbari, what is your location/latitude?

Queensland

[frogesque]

If I may ask Minbari, what is your location/latitude?

Queensland

Ahhh!

[Charlie in Dayton]

On occasion, I have seen flashes in the night sky that leave me saying things unrepeatable on this board...

Finally figgered one of 'em out. The location was always around the same place...a dip in the landscape where any fog at all would collect. I'd be out toward the rim of the dip where any fog would be so thin as to be unnoticeable...but in that area (and ONLY in that area), the fog would pick up the white strobe light from a radio tower a ways off in the distance, and sorta funnel the light in one direction, making it very noticeable -- but only in one general area.

If those flashes were from GRB's I'd be on the lookout for unusual bouts of temper and super strength, body dimensions that rapidly increase to the point of ripping off all clothing except for shredded pants, a distinct green tinge to the skin, and the inability to verbally express any ideas other than 'Hulk smash!!!'.

[Minbari]

Sorry I have taken so long to get back to you as I only had few minutes to spare the last 3-4 days.

After reading what everyone here has commented on, I incline to believe this is still a TGF type event.

To study this phenomenon from the ground what type of digital capture equipment would you think be needed.

Perhaps per chance, living where I do, being a few hundred meters away from the Pacific Ocean on the East coast of Australia, Queensland. Probably gives increases my chances of seeing these events with the naked eye, being vastly clear in the skies and no light pollution coming from the ocean.

In time I plan on doing many more things using my computer and telescope to aid me in capturing some of the phenomenon I have been seeing lately as I would dearly love to share and investigate the tantalizing mysterious that lay behind these radical process's.

Do you think it is possible that these TGF’s interact with SOL disturbances or could be a result there of.

[Minbari]

Gsquare
That’s interesting about the moon, thanks heaps for the link.
=========

John Kierein
________________________________________
I wonder if Lou Frank's little comets could be secondary radiation from cosmic rays or TGFs? Anybody know if this has been considered?
________________________________________

Thanks for the info about the eyes being used in skylab. It is fairly dark where I live and my eyes where adjusted to the dark sky at around 13:00UTC or 11:00AEST when the said event occurred. Also I am fortunate enough to have 40/40 vision 

[cj341]

What? Hey can you tell me what the universe looks like as gamma rays, i haven't experted that yet. Really, you are kind of making a fool of yourself, do some research first, i would suggest wikipedia.

[aurora]

What? Hey can you tell me what the universe looks like as gamma rays, i haven't experted that yet. Really, you are kind of making a fool of yourself, do some research first, i would suggest wikipedia.

You are responding to a thread that is three years old.