The following is a list of significantgamma-ray bursts (GRBs) listed in chronological order. GRBs are named after the date on which they were detected: the first two numbers correspond to the year, the second two numbers to the month, and the last two numbers to the day.
| Burst | Position | Redshift | Detected by | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GRB 670702 | Vela 4 | First GRB detected | ||
| GRB 790305b | The first observedSGR megaflare, a specific type of short GRB. | |||
| GRB 830801 | Until October 2022, the brightest GRB detected (now overtaken byGRB 221009A) | |||
| GRB 970228 | z = 0.695[Ref 1] | BeppoSAX | First X-ray afterglow, first optical afterglow | |
| GRB 970402 | RA14h 50.1m Dec −69° 20′ | BeppoSAX | From an X-ray source never seen before in theconstellationCircinus.[Ref 2] | |
| GRB 970508 | z = 0.835 | BeppoSAX | First redshift, first radio afterglow | |
| GRB 971214 | z = 3.4 | BATSE | The first GRB atz > 1; the most luminous of the earliest few GRBs. | |
| GRB 980425 | z = 0.008[Ref 3] | BATSE | The second closest GRB to date (after GRB 170817A) and the first associated with a supernova. | |
| GRB 990123 | R.A. 15h 25m 29s Decl. 44° 45′ 30″[Ref 4] | z = 1.6 | BeppoSAX | First burst observed simultaneously in optical and gamma-rays. Brightest observed afterglow before the launch of Swift. |
| GRB 991216 | BATSE | First burst detected by theChandra X-ray Observatory[1] | ||
| GRB 030329 | z = 0.168[Ref 5] | HETE-2 | The closest "classical" long GRB to Earth and the most thoroughly studied afterglow to date. | |
| GRB 050509B | z = 0.225 | Swift | First short burst with a detected afterglow and a possible host galaxy (not unique). | |
| GRB 050709 | z = 0.161[Ref 6] | HETE-2 | First short burst with a detected optical counterpart. | |
| GRB 050724 | z = 0.258[Ref 7] | Swift | First short burst with a detected radio, optical, and X-ray counterpart, as well as an unambiguous association with an elliptical galaxy. | |
| GRB 060218 | z = 0.0331[Ref 8] | Swift | First GRB with an accompanying supernova which could be tracked starting immediately after the burst. | |
| GRB 060614 | R.A. 21h 23m 27.0s Decl. −53° 02′ 02″ | z = 0.125 | Swift | Either a long-duration burst in which the presence of a bright supernova is ruled out, or a short-duration burst with extremely long-lasting gamma-ray emission. |
| GRB 080319B | z = 0.937 | Swift | The most (optically) luminous event of any nature observed in theuniverse to date. By far the brightest optical afterglow of any gamma-ray burst. | |
| GRB 080916C | z = 4.35[Ref 9] | Fermi | Formerly the most energetic gamma-ray burst observed. | |
| GRB 090423 | R.A. 09h 55m 33.08s Decl. +18° 08′ 58.9″ | z = 8.2 | Swift | Remains the record holder for most distant observed object in the universe with spectroscopic confirmation.[2][Ref 10] |
| GRB 101225A | R.A. 00h 00m 47.51s Decl. +44° 36′ 01.1″ | z = 0.33 | Swift | 28 minutes duration. Also known as the "Christmas burst". |
| GRB 130427A | R.A. 11h 32m 32.84s Decl. +27° 41′ 56.2″ | z = 0.34 | Swift | hours duration |
| GRB 160625B | R.A. 20h 34m 23.25s Decl. +06° 55′ 10.5″[3] | z = 1.406 | Fermi;LAT | Extremely bright burst with polarized optical light[4][5][6] |
| GRB 170817A | R.A. 12h 47m Decl. −39° 48′[7] | z = 0.009727 | Fermi | Neutron star collision, producing thegravitational wave namedGW170817.[7][8][9] Closest GRB known to date |
| GRB 200826A | z=0.7486 | A short duration gamma ray burst that lasted for 0.5seconds.[10] | ||
| GRB 211211A | z=0.0785 | Swift, Fermi | First long GRB from a binary neutron star merger[11] | |
| GRB 221009A | R.A. 19h 13m 03.48s Decl. 19° 46′ 24.6″ | z = 0.151 | Swift | One of the closest GRB and was the most energetic and brightest GRB ever recorded, deemed the "B.O.A.T.", orBrightest Of All Time. It had 18 TeV, a record. |
| GRB 230307A | Fermi | Second only toGRB 221009A in terms of fluence.[12] |
| Title | GRB | Data | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Least distant | GRB 170817A | z = 0.009727 | Higher redshift than GRB 980425, but closer galaxy |
| Most distant with photometric redshift estimate | GRB 090429B | z = 9.4 | [13] |
| Most distant with spectroscopic redshift estimate | GRB 090423 | z = 8.2 | [2] |
| Least Luminous | |||
| Most Luminous | GRB 110918A | z = 0.984[14] | Peak Luminosity (isotropic) is Liso = 4.7 × 1047 Watts[15] |
| Most Energetic | GRB 221009A | 18 TeV;[16] z=0.151 | It is the most energetic gamma-ray burst ever recorded. It has been deemed to be the "B.O.A.T.", orBrightest Of All Time. It had the highest fluence and peak flux ever identified, by a large margin.[14] It also holds the record for highest energy burst recorded if released isotropically, beatingGRB 080916C.[14] It may have released a photon at 251 TeV.[17] |
| Longest duration | GRB 250702B | Duration = ca. 1 day | |
| Shortest duration | GRB 820405 | Duration = 12 ms | |
| Most distant naked-eye brightness GRB | GRB 080319B | Apparent magnitude: 5.3 z=0.937 | [18][19] |
| Title | GRB | Date | Data | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First GRB detected | GRB 670702 | 1967 July 2 | [18] | |
| First GRB identified | GRB 781104 | 1978 November 4 | Venera-11, Venera-12, Prognoz-7, ISEE-3, Pioneer Venus Orbiter, Vela | |
| First long duration GRB discovered | ||||
| First short duration GRB discovered | ||||
| First hard spectrum GRB discovered | ||||
| First soft spectrum GRB discovered | ||||
| First GRB whose distance was determined | GRB 970508 | z=0.835 | [20] | |
| First GRB discovered with a radio afterglow | GRB 970508 | [20] | ||
| First GRB discovered with an optical afterglow | GRB 970228 | February 28, 1997 02:58 UTC | [20] | |
| First GRB discovered with an X-ray afterglow | GRB 780506 | [21] | ||
| First Short GRB discovered with millimeter afterglow[22] | GRB 211106A | 2021 November 6 04:37:31.2 UT[23] | 0.7<z<1.4[24] | One of the widest and most energetic SGRB jets known to date. Associated with a neutron star merger.[25][26][27] |
| First GRB linked to a supernova | GRB 980425 | 25 April 1998 21:49 UTC | SN 1998bw | GRB 030329 definitively linked SNe with GRBs, being associated with the hypernovaSN 2003dh[20][28] |
| First GRB of naked-eye brightness | GRB 080319B | 2008 March 19 06:12 UTC | Apparent magnitude: 5.7 | The first GRB bright enough to be visible to amateur astronomers with low powered scopes wasGRB 990123 at magnitude 9[18][19][20] |
| First GRB with associatedGravitational wave detection | GRB 170817A | 2017 August 17 | GW170817 | |
| First GRB with tera-electron volt radiation frominverse Compton emission.[29] | GRB 190114C | 2019 January 14 20:57:03 UT[30] | z=0.4245;[31] magnitude=15.60est[30] | "light detected from the object had the highest energy ever observed: 1Tera electron volt (TeV) -- about one trillion times as much energy per photon as visible light";[29] "the brightest light ever seen from Earth [to date]";[32] "this detection is considered a milestone in high-energy astrophysics".[33] Its light energy was then overtaken by GRB 190829A with 3.3 TeV[34][35] and thenGRB 221009A with 18 TeV.[36][37] |
| GRB | Distance | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| GRB 090429B | z=9.4 | [13] (photometric redshift) |
| GRB 090423 | z=8.2 | [38] |
| GRB 080913 | z=6.7 | [38] |
| GRB 060116 | z=6.60 | The high foreground extinction for this event makes this photometric redshift estimate very uncertain.[39] |
| GRB 140515A | z=6.33 | [40] |
| GRB 050904 | z=6.295 | [41] |
GRBs z>6 are used to explore the reionization era | ||
| GRB | Date | Distance | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| GRB 090429B | May 2011 — | z=9.4 | The GRB was observed in 2009, however its distance was not announced until 2011.[13] |
| GRB 090423 | April 2009 — May 2011 | z=8.2 | This was the first GRB to become the most distant object in the universe.[38] |
| GRB 080913 | September 2008 — April 2009 | z=6.7 | [38][42] |
| GRB 050904 | September 2005 — September 2008 | z=6.29 | [41][42][43] |
| GRB 000131 | January 2000 — September 2005 | z=4.50 | [43][44][45] |
| GRB 971214 | December 1997 — January 2000 | z=3.42 | [20][44][45] |
| GRB 970508 | May 1997 — December 1997 | z=0.835 | First GRB with its distance determined[20] |