The Gamma-Ray Burst Monitor is one of
the instruments on the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope
— designed to detect gamma-ray bursts. Gamma-ray bursts can be observed in every
corner of the universe. Emitted from the extremely energetic collapse of massive
stars and the merging cores of dead stars.
The Gamma-Ray Burst Monitor, also known as GBM, is an instrument
used to detect these bright flashes and give scientists information from across
the universe. The GBM uses a few simple processes to collect
data. There are twelve low-energy detectors, and two higher-energy
detectors, pointed in different orientations that together cover the whole sky.
When gamma rays enter these detectors, they interact
with crystals in the instrument. The more energetic the gamma ray, the more
light is produced in the crystals. By seeing which crystals light up,
the GBM can tell which direction the gamma-ray bursts are coming from.
This process is called localization. Shining about a quadrillion times brighter than
the Sun, gamma rays are the first light to be detected from a gamma-ray burst.
Rapid localization informs other telescopes both on the ground and in space
where to look. GBM observations of the brightest
explosions in the universe allow scientists to better understand these unique sources.
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