GLASTcast Episode 2: What are Gamma Rays?

Somewhere out in the vast depths of space, a giant star explodes with the power of millions of suns. As the star blows up, a black hole forms at its center. The black hole blows two blowtorches in opposite directions, in narrow jets of gamma rays. NASA's Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope, or GLAST, will catch about 200 of these explosions, known as gamma-ray bursts, each year. GLAST's detailed observations may give astronomers the clues they need to unravel the mystery of what exactly produces these gamma-ray bursts, which are the brightest explosions in the universe since the Big Bang.

Interviews with (in order of appearance):

Phil Plait - Astronomer, Bad Astronomy

David Thompson - GLAST Deputy Project Scientist, NASA Goddard

Valerie Connaughton - GLAST Burst Monitor (GBM) Team, NASA Marshall/University of Alabama

Neil Gehrels - GLAST Deputy Project Scientist, NASA Goddard

Isabelle Grenier - Principal Investigator of the GLAST French contribution, French Atomic Energy Commission

Peter Michaelson - Large Area Telescope (LAT) Principal Investigator, Stanford University

Charles "Chip" Meegan - GLAST Burst Monitor (GBM) Principal Investigator, NASA Marshall

Martin Pohl - GLAST Interdisciplinary Scientist, Iowa State University

Steve Ritz - GLAST Project Scientist, NASA Goddard