Yay! GLAST works!
The Gamma-Ray Large Area Space Telescope launched into orbit in early June. It’s been going through a rigorous testing period, but the main instrument (the Large Area Telescope, or LAT) is now sending down data, and word on the street (not that astronomers are ever seen on the street) is that it’s looking good.
GLAST detects super-high-energy gamma rays from exploding stars, black holes gobbling down matter, and other exotic and incredibly violent events. When a gamma ray hits the LAT, it’s converted into a pair of particles, an electron and a positron (an antimatter electron). Gamma rays are hard to track, but particles are like bullets, and their direction can be traced back into the sky, allowing scientists to create images of astronomical objects in gamma rays. The LAT is the highest-resolution gamma ray instrument ever flown. That means it has the sharpest vision yet.
I haven’t heard of any images being made yet, but they’ll be around soon. Don’t expect Hubble-like gorgeous space art; the LAT doesn’t work that way. But even if the images are a bit weird, I promise I’ll explain ‘em and show you just why they’re so nifty.
If you want to keep track of GLAST, try reading the GLAST blog, written by project scientist Steve Ritz. He updates it pretty often with all sorts of GLASTy news.
July 2nd, 2008 at 5:05 pm
That’s great! So, with GLAST up there sending data, when one of those Gamma ray bursts you describe in your upcoming book happens, will there be a scientist at NASA at least able to say ‘Oh Crap’ before we’re all fried ?
July 2nd, 2008 at 5:40 pm
ha ha. This is really great, there is a lot of exciting stuff happening now. Within a decade we will have so much more info on our universe, on the large scale and on the small scale. I can’t wait for the LHC to get underway. It is going to take a while for the physicists to work out the data and for it to be put to use in some theories, but it is great none the less. Awesome time to be alive.
July 2nd, 2008 at 6:04 pm
I’m crossing my fingers for observations of the more esoteric stuff like dark matter annihilation and violations of Lorentz invariance. I don’t think they’re likely, but such results would sure be exciting.
July 2nd, 2008 at 6:40 pm
Can’t wait to here how some of the research goes, bet GLAST will bring just as many new questions as it does answers!
July 2nd, 2008 at 8:36 pm
I particularly like the fact that if GLAST detects a GRB an alert is immediately put on the internet so that other researchers can point their instruments in the right direction or as Jeff_w said more scientists will be able to say “Oh cra……” crackle crackle beeeeeeeeep.
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:29 pm
Cool.I am looking forward to your posts on this mission. Go GLAST!
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:38 pm
BA: What do you hear on the street these days, Huggy?
Huggy Bear: Dig this. A little bird in the sky is sending down signal and word is that it’s looking good.
PZ: Interesting. Who would this little bird be?
Huggy Bear: Look man. I lay it out for y’all to play it out.
PZ: All right. What does that mean?
BA: Don’t worry about it it must be GLAST, GLAST detects super-high-energy gamma rays… yada yada yada….
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:56 pm
Awesome. I am so glad it launched and deployed without a hitch. I am looking forward to a more detailed look into GRB’s now ;p
July 3rd, 2008 at 1:32 am
It sure is fantastic living in an age when I can pop onto the internet anywhere I go, at any time of day, and there will always be news of exciting innovation and discovery. Thanks for being curious, humanity!
July 3rd, 2008 at 4:12 am
Um, wasn’t that possibility dead in the water as soon as the GZK cutoff was independently confirmed last year? At least DSR posited higher energy rays to violate (and be evidence for violation of) Lorentz invariance.
FWIW, I don’t see how Lorentz invariance can be violated on any scale and still give us a consistent physics. I believe DSR tried to make Planck scale some sort of cutoff – but that won’t work either AFAIU.
July 3rd, 2008 at 6:39 am
If astronomers are never seen on the street, how do they get from place to place without getting run over? *wry grin*
Please, support your local astronomer. Give them one of those bright orange reflective triangles – let’s avoid astronomer collisions!
July 3rd, 2008 at 6:49 am
I wonder what sort of mysteries GLAST will uncover in it’s career?
Imagine the insights into GRBs it’ll give!
BTW, can it also look into the galatic center?
July 3rd, 2008 at 10:54 am
Astronomers never seen on the street???
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidewalk_astronomy
http://www.sidewalkastronomers.us/
I watched a PBS show with a sidewalk astronomer – grabbing people on the street and saying take a look at the sky, use my telescope.
July 3rd, 2008 at 12:26 pm
But when does it get a new name??
July 3rd, 2008 at 4:22 pm
LOL-BA: “Looking good, at GLAST!”
Old traveller, gamma ray,
Knock on hard, don’t be shy,
Stop at last
in our GLAST,
Whence we see you in our sky.