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Astronomy/Gamma Ray Bursts and the Sun

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Expert: - 3/14/2008


Question
Phillip,
I've been reading a bit on Gamma Ray Bursts, and my question is this: Assuming a short GRB (around 2 seconds), would the energy from the burst significantly affect our Sun if it was directly in the path of the burst? Could it, for instance, put the Sun out, partially or completely?
Thank you,
Geoff Mossburg

Answer
Hello,

Don't forget that the Sun is also a source of gamma rays - and also gamma ray bursts - especially occurring with solar flares. For example, in the June 15, 1991 flare there were repeat gamma ray bursts with energies >  30 MeV.


See also:

http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1994LNP...432..197V


Given this, it is hard to envisage how an extraneous GRB source could produce any influence that could rival the solar high energy (> 10 MeV) bursts, especially as the former are subject to the inverse square law for EM radiation. (The intensity of the radiation falls off as the inverse square of the distance, and we are talking about objects LIGHT YEARS away)

They certainly wouldn't "put the Sun out" nor I daresay, even alter its luminosity by a billionth of a percent.  

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Philip Stahl

Expertise

I have forty years of experience in Astronomy, specifically solar and space physics. My specialties include the physics of solar flares, sunspots, including their effects on Earth and statistics as applied to astronomical investigations.

Experience

Astronomy: more than forty years experience starting with construction of my own simple telescopes. Worked at university observatory in college, doing astrographic measurements. M.Phil. degree in Physics/Solar Physics and more than ten years as researcher.

Organizations
American Astronomical Society (Solar Physics and Dynamical Astronomy divisions), American Mathematical Society, American Geophysical Union

Publications
Solar Physics (journal), The Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, The Proceedings of the Meudon Solar Flare Workshop (1986), The Proceedings of the Caribbean Physics Conference (1985). Books: 'Selected Analyses in Solar Flare Plasma Dynamics', 'Physics Notes for Advanced Level'.

Education/Credentials
B.A. Astronomy, M. Phil. Physics

Awards and Honors
American Astronomical Society Studentship Award (1984), Barbados Government Award for Solar Research

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