Images by Date
Images by Category
Solar System
Stars
Exoplanets
White Dwarfs
Supernovas
Neutron Stars
Black Holes
Milky Way Galaxy
Normal Galaxies
Quasars
Galaxy Clusters
Cosmology/Deep Field
Miscellaneous
Images by Interest
Space Scoop for Kids
4K JPG
Multiwavelength
Sky Map
Constellations
Photo Blog
Top Rated Images
Image Handouts
Desktops
Fits Files
Visual descriptions
Image Tutorials
Photo Album Tutorial
False Color
Cosmic Distance
Look-Back Time
Scale & Distance
Angular Measurement
Images & Processing
AVM/Metadata
Image Use Policy
Web Shortcuts
Chandra Blog
RSS Feed
Chronicle
Email Newsletter
News & Noteworthy
Image Use Policy
Questions & Answers
Glossary of Terms
Download Guide
Get Adobe Reader
More Images of GRB 031203
1
Chandra X-ray Image of GRB 031203
Monitoring of the afterglow of GRB 031203, a gamma-ray burst 1.3 billion light years from Earth, with Chandra and other telescopes showed it was an unusual gamma-ray burst that radiated only a fraction of the energy of a normal gamma ray burst. Gamma-ray bursts, like supernovas are thought to be produced by the collapse of the core of a massive star. Many examples exist where the core collapses to form a neutron star, resulting in a supernova. But what occurs when a core collapses to form a black hole is uncertain. The discovery of substandard gamma-ray bursts should give astronomers valuable clues to the processes responsible for supernovas, black hole formation, and gamma ray bursts.
(Credit: NASA/CXC/Caltech/A.Soderberg et al.)
Scale: Image is 1 arcmin per side.

2
Model of a Gamma-ray Burst
Many scientists believe that gamma-ray bursts are caused by jets of high-energy particles from a rapidly rotating black hole that interacts with surrounding material. This artist's rendering depicts this model (not to scale), where the black hole is produced by the collapse of a massive star's core.
(Illustration: NASA/CXC/M.Weiss)



Return to GRB 031203 (04 Aug 04)