GRB 970228
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| Other designations | GRB 970228 |
|---|---|
| Event type |
Gamma-ray burst 
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| Observation | |
| Date | 28 February 1997
|
| Duration | 69 second
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| Instrument |
BeppoSAX
|
| Location | |
| Constellation |
Orion
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| Right ascension | 05h 01m 46.7s |
| Declination | +11° 46′ 53.0″ |
| Epoch | J2000 |
| Distance | 8,123,000,000 ly (2.491×109 pc) |
| Redshift | 0.695
|
| Characteristics | |
| Energetics | |
| Total energy output | 5.2×1044 J |
| See also | |
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GRB 970228 was the first gamma-ray burst (GRB) for which an afterglow was observed. It was detected on 28 February 1997 at 02:58 UTC. Since 1993, physicists had predicted GRBs to be followed by a lower-energy afterglow (in wavelengths such as radio waves, x-rays, and even visible light), but until this event, GRBs had only been observed in highly luminous bursts of high-energy gamma rays (the most energetic form of electromagnetic radiation).
The burst had multiple peaks in its light curve and lasted approximately 80 seconds. Peculiarities in the light curve of GRB 970228 suggested that a supernova may have occurred as well. The position of the burst coincided with a galaxy about 8.1 billion light-years away (a redshift of z = 0.695), providing early evidence that GRBs occur well beyond the Milky Way.
A gamma-ray burst (GRB) is a highly luminous flash of gamma rays, the most energetic form of electromagnetic radiation. GRBs were first detected in 1967 by the Vela satellites, a series of spacecraft designed to detect nuclear explosions.
GRB 970228 was detected on 28 February 1997 at 02:58 UTC by the Gamma-Ray Burst Monitor (GRBM) and one of the Wide Field Cameras (WFCs) on board BeppoSAX, an Italian–Dutch satellite originally designed to study X-rays. Within a few hours, the BeppoSAX team determined the burst's position with an error box—a small area around the specific position to account for the error in the position—of 3 arcminutes. The burst was also detected by the Ulysses space probe.
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