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The Gamma-Ray Burst Monitor is one of

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the instruments on the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope

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— designed to detect gamma-ray bursts. Gamma-ray bursts can be observed in every

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corner of the universe. Emitted from the extremely energetic collapse of massive

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stars and the merging cores of dead stars.

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The Gamma-Ray Burst Monitor, also known as GBM, is an instrument

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used to detect these bright flashes and give scientists information from across

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the universe. The GBM uses a few simple processes to collect

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data. There are twelve low-energy detectors, and two higher-energy

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detectors, pointed in different orientations that together cover the whole sky.

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When gamma rays enter these detectors, they interact

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with crystals in the instrument. The more energetic the gamma ray, the more

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light is produced in the crystals. By seeing which crystals light up,

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the GBM can tell which direction the gamma-ray bursts are coming from.

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This process is called localization. Shining about a quadrillion times brighter than

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the Sun, gamma rays are the first light to be detected from a gamma-ray burst.

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Rapid localization informs other telescopes both on the ground and in space

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where to look. GBM observations of the brightest

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explosions in the universe allow scientists to better understand these unique sources.

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[Music fades][Beeping]