Accidental Astronomy

Ethan Wong

March 7th, 2025

Astronomy was of little priority during the Cold War. Even when reducing the focus to purely space, tensions between the U.S. and U.S.S.R. mainly stemmed from space achievements rather than astronomical discovery, and the race to prove technological superiority and reach the Moon (among other space milestones) became the central focus of the Cold War’s space race. However, interesting discoveries and events occurred in the field of astronomy as well during the same time period. Aside from one of the most famous discoveries in the 1960s (by accident to some extent) was the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation (CMB) from a large radio antenna utilized by radio astronomers Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson, other astronomical findings were recorded (by accident as well). This article will take a closer look at one of these accidental discoveries in the 1960s: the detection of gamma ray bursts (GRBs). 

During the Cold War, according to Forbes Magazine, the U.S. launched satellites through the Vela project to ensure the U.S.S.R. was following protocols listed under the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty during the 1960s. Their discovery of gamma ray bursts in 1967 “didn’t match the signature of any known nuclear detonation…[and instead originated from] cataclysmic events in distant galaxies.” The Vela mission was essentially a “2x bonus;” not only did the U.S. showcase their technological prowess through their satellites and ability to monitor the Soviet Union’s compliance to treaties, but such actions additionally resulted in a major astronomical discovery.

According to “A Brief History of the Discovery of Cosmic Gamma-Ray Bursts” by J.T. Bonnell and R.W. Klebesadel, the satellite was capable of detecting delayed gamma ray emissions to capture any nuclear bombs that were attempted to be tested secretly, which would lack x-ray detection from the satellite. As a result of this, “gamma-ray detector logic was designed to look for delayed hard gamma-radiation resulting from the cloud of radioactive material blown out after the nuclear blast…Because of this design, the gamma ray detectors were, coincidentally, able to record gamma-ray burst time histories.” An image below showcases the scan of this GRB occurring over 1 second, followed by the “afterglow” which decays over the next few seconds. 

So what are gamma ray bursts–if one were to put it simply? 

Gamma ray bursts are one of the largest, brightest and most energetic explosions in the entire Universe. These explosions consist of streams of particles travelling very close to the speed of light, which help to produce gamma rays. 

These events can occur from the far edges of the universe (millions and billions of light years away from Earth), and according to the European Space Agency, “There are no stars within 200 light years of our Solar System that are of the type destined to explode as a GRB, so we do not expect to witness such an event at close range.” Regardless, the chances of Earth being destroyed by a GRB are incredibly low; furthermore, our planet’s atmosphere consists of an ozone layer which helps absorb and reflect radiation. 

However, if a GRB were to directly hit Earth, the following events would be catastrophic: the atmosphere’s radiation protection would be completely compromised, allowing heavy amounts of gamma radiation to hit the surface. With this, life and the environment would be compromised. But this will likely never happen. These occurrences are often more interesting to study and observe, rather than be a source of anxiety or fear; a few years ago, NASA recorded one of the brightest and longest GRBs, which was estimated to have been traveling for over 1.9 billion light years before being picked up by space telescopes.

There are two types of GRBs commonly referred to: long GRBs and short GRBs. Short GRBs last seconds, if less, and are thought to be caused by collisions between two neutron stars as they begin to form a black hole. Large GRBs make up the majority of GRBs detected so far, and can last several minutes. Their origin is proposed to be from the collapsing/death of stars in their supernova phase. Ultimately, the true causes and processes of these GRBs are not confirmed. However GRBs are still continually monitored; today, these events are detected through space telescopes like the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope (FGST) and the Swift Gamma-Ray Burst Explorer.