On January 23, 1999, ROTSE captured first-ever optical images a gamma-ray burst at the very moment the burst was going off -- the "Holy Grail" for the hunters of these mysterious explosions, which occur with no warning, last only a few seconds, and produce more energy in that short period than the entire Universe combined. The split-second positioning of the telescope was made possible by the Gamma-Ray Burst Coordinates Network, a computer network that spreads the news about such bursts to several earth-bound and space telescopes.
Instrument: ROTSE
Credit: ROTSE team
