The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), together with 40 research institutions worldwide, released their latest discoveries on the brightest gamma-ray burst ever detected by humans, dubbed the GRB 221009A. The brightest gamma-ray burst, regarded as a once-in-1,000-year event by scientists, was observed by two Chinese space telescopes – the Insight-HXMT, referring to Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope, and the GECAM-C. With unique observations made by the two Chinese space telescopes, scientists were able to accurately measure the brightness and how much energy was released by the burst, which is key to understanding the historic event.
The latest observations from Insight-HXMT were published online in Nature Astronomy on Feb. 18. Insight-HXMT has discovered the very first X-ray burst associated with a fast radio burst (FRB) and has identified that it originated from soft-gamma repeater (SGR) J1935+2154, which is a magnetar in our Milky Way.
China's Quantum Science Satellite is operating well in orbit after testing and will begin its experiments this month, according to the project's lead scientist Pan Jianwei. Launched on August 15, the satellite is designed to test quantum mechanic principles, including quantum entanglement over unprecedented distances, and the possibilities for secure quantum communication.
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