Chandra Release - November 3, 2000

Visual Description: GRB 991216

The image is a Chandra X-ray Observatory image of the gamma-ray burst called GRB 991216, which was detected by the BeppoSAX satellite on December 16, 1999.  The X-ray  image shows a bright multicolored speckled spot in the center, surrounded by many gray dots or specks.  The colors in the image are predominantly grey, black and white, with a few specks of red, blue and green. This image also shows the X-ray spectrum of GRB991216 to the lower left. An international team used Chandra to observe iron emission lines from ejected material surrounding GRB991216, the first time emission lines associated with GRBs have been unambiguously detected and their properties precisely measured at X-ray wavelengths. This data strengthens that GRBs are the result of a "hypernova," a gigantic star collapsing on itself under its own weight.