Gamma-ray bursters are great distances from Earth,yet Earth receives tremendous amounts of energy from them.Explain.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Gamma-ray bursters release energy along narrow jets rather than uniformly in all directions. If one of these jets is aimed at Earth, then we receive a large amount of energy from the burster. This is consistent with observations, which have shown that gamma-ray bursts occur in distant galaxies and are highly directional. Option A is incorrect because although gamma-ray bursters are very energetic, they are not supermassive stars, nor are they equivalent to 100,000 supernovae. Option B is also incorrect because a gamma-ray burster is not the explosion of an entire galaxy, but rather a smaller event within a galaxy. Option D is incorrect because gravitational lensing does not focus gamma radiation in the direction of Earth.

Gamma-Ray Bursters Are Great Distances from Earth,yet Earth Receives Tremendous