GRB 971214 is a gamma ray burst observed in 1997. It originated 12 billion light years way. As of 2005 it is the most energetic event observed in the universe. Optical afterglow of gamma ray burst GRB-990123 (the bright dot within the white square and in the enlarged cutout) on 23 January 1999. ... 1997 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A light year, abbreviated ly, is the distance light travels in one year: roughly 9. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In 1998 it was discovered that the outburst put out more energy than several hundred typical supernovae, or the energy our galaxy puts out over a couple of centuries. The size of the burst exceeds theoretical models of GRB power sources, and will require exotic physics to explain. The host galaxy, and X-ray afterglow of the GRB have also been observed, using BeppoSAX and Keck II respectively. The host galaxy lies at redshift z=3.4 . 1998 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... Remnant of Keplers Supernova, SN 1604. ... BeppoSAX was an Italian-Dutch satellite for X-ray astronomy. ... The Mauna Kea Observatory, an institute of the University of Hawaii, is considered one of the most important land-based observatories in the world for its isolated, unobstructed views of space without interference from man-made light sources. ...

Quotes

• "For about one or two seconds, this burst was as luminous as all the rest of the entire universe". (George Djorgovski)
• "In a region about a hundred miles across, the burst created conditions like those in the early universe, about one millisecond (1/1000th of a second) after the Big Bang". (George Djorgovski)

According to the Big Bang theory, the universe originated in an extremely dense and hot state (bottom). ...

External links

• Gamma-Ray Burst Found to be Most Energetic Event in Universe (HubbleSite)