Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

A Powerful Gamma-ray Burst

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for May 7, 1998 is “A Powerful Gamma-ray Burst,” an image. It is credited to Credit: S. R. Kulkarni, S. G. Djorgovski (Caltech), the Caltech GRB Team , NASA. The original explanation runs about 209 words.

A Powerful Gamma-ray Burst
Credit: S. R. Kulkarni, S. G. Djorgovski (Caltech), the Caltech GRB Team , NASA Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“Gamma-ray bursts are thought to be the most powerful explosions in the Universe, yet the cause of these high-energy flashes remains a mystery .”

— APOD editors, May 7, 1998

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
May 7, 1998
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: S. R. Kulkarni, S. G. Djorgovski (Caltech), the Caltech GRB Team , NASA
Copyright
No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 209 words

All of May 1998 → · 1998 by month → · Full archive since 1995 →

Topics in this entry

Galaxies

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: May 7 in other years

On Amazon

Popular picks for space fans

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Electronics Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition 32GB Read astronomy and space-history books anywhere. View on Amazon → Electronics Bose QuietComfort Wireless Headphones Noise-cancelling headphones for documentaries and launch livestreams. View on Amazon →

Source

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.