The following is a list of significant gamma-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 | Detected by | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GRB 670702 | First GRB detected | ||||
| The first observed SGR megaflare, a specific type of short GRB. | |||||
| Until October 2022, the brightest GRB detected (now overtaken by GRB 221009A) | |||||
| z = 0.695[1] | First X-ray afterglow, first optical afterglow | ||||
| GRB 970402 | From an X-ray source never seen before in the constellation Circinus.[2] | ||||
| z = 0.835 | First redshift, first radio afterglow | ||||
| z = 3.4 | BATSE | The first GRB at z > 1; the most luminous of the earliest few GRBs. | |||
| z = 0.008[3] | The second closest GRB to date (after GRB 170817A) and the first associated with a supernova. | ||||
| R.A. Decl. [4] | z = 1.6 | First burst observed simultaneously in optical and gamma-rays. Brightest observed afterglow before the launch of Swift. | |||
| First burst detected by the Chandra X-ray Observatory[5] | |||||
| z = 0.168[6] | The closest "classical" long GRB to Earth and the most thoroughly studied afterglow to date. | ||||
| z = 0.225 | First short burst with a detected afterglow and a possible host galaxy (not unique). | ||||
| z = 0.161[7] | First short burst with a detected optical counterpart. | ||||
| GRB 050724 | z = 0.258[8] | First short burst with a detected radio, optical, and X-ray counterpart, as well as an unambiguous association with an elliptical galaxy. | |||
| z = 0.0331[9] | First GRB with an accompanying supernova which could be tracked starting immediately after the burst. | ||||
| R.A. Decl. | z = 0.125 | 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. | |||
| z = 0.937 | The most (optically) luminous event of any nature observed in the universe to date. By far the brightest optical afterglow of any gamma-ray burst. | ||||
| z = 4.35[10] | Formerly the most energetic gamma-ray burst observed. | ||||
| R.A. Decl. | z = 8.2 | Remains the record holder for most distant observed object in the universe with spectroscopic confirmation.[11] [12] | |||
| R.A. Decl. | z = 0.33 | 28 minutes duration. Also known as the "Christmas burst". | |||
| R.A. Decl. | z = 0.34 | hours duration | |||
| R.A. Decl. [13] | z = 1.406 | Fermi | Extremely bright burst with polarized optical light[14] [15] [16] | ||
| R.A. Decl. | z = 0.009727 | Neutron star collision, producing the gravitational wave named GW170817.[17] [18] [19] Closest GRB known to date | |||
| GRB 200826A | z=0.7486 | A short duration gamma ray burst that lasted for 0.5 seconds.[20] | |||
| GRB 211211A | z=0.0785 | Swift, Fermi | First long GRB from a binary neutron star merger[21] | ||
| R.A. Decl. | z = 0.151 | One of the closest GRB and was the most energetic and brightest GRB ever recorded, deemed the "B.O.A.T.", or Brightest Of All Time. It had 18 TeV, a record. | |||
| GRB 230307A | Fermi | Second only to GRB 221009A in terms of fluence.[22] |
| 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 | ||
| Most distant with spectroscopic redshift estimate | GRB 090423 | z = 8.2 | ||
| Least Luminous | ||||
| Most Luminous | GRB 110918A | z = 0.984 | Peak Luminosity (isotropic) is Liso = 4.7 × 1047 Watts[23] | |
| Most Energetic | GRB 221009A | 18 TeV;[24] z=0.151 | It is the most energetic gamma-ray burst ever recorded. It has been deemed to be the "B.O.A.T.", or Brightest Of All Time. It had the highest fluence and peak flux ever identified, by a large margin.[25] It also holds the record for highest energy burst recorded if released isotropically, beating GRB 080916C. It may have released a photon at 251 TeV.[26] | |
| Longest duration | GRB 111209A | Duration = at least 7 hours | ||
| Shortest duration | GRB 820405 | Duration = 12 ms | ||
| Most distant naked-eye brightness GRB | GRB 080319B | Apparent magnitude 5.3 | [27] |
| Title | GRB | Date | Data | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First GRB detected | GRB 670702 | 1967 July 2 | [28] | ||
| 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 | [29] | ||
| First GRB discovered with a radio afterglow | GRB 970508 | ||||
| First GRB discovered with an optical afterglow | GRB 970228 | February 28, 1997 02:58 UTC | |||
| First GRB discovered with an X-ray afterglow | GRB 780506 | [30] | |||
| First Short GRB discovered with millimeter afterglow[31] | GRB 211106A | 2021 November 6 04:37:31.2 UT[32] | 0.7 | One of the widest and most energetic SGRB jets known to date. Associated with a neutron star merger.[34] [35] [36] | |
| 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 hypernova SN 2003dh[37] | |
| 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 was GRB 990123 at magnitude 9 | |
| First GRB with associated Gravitational wave detection | GRB 170817A | 2017 August 17 | GW170817 | ||
| First GRB with tera-electron volt radiation from inverse Compton emission.[38] | GRB 190114C | 2019 January 14 20:57:03 UT[39] | z=0.4245;[40] magnitude=15.60est | "light detected from the object had the highest energy ever observed: 1 Tera electron volt (TeV) -- about one trillion times as much energy per photon as visible light"; "the brightest light ever seen from Earth [to date]";[41] "this detection is considered a milestone in high-energy astrophysics".[42] Its light energy was then overtaken by GRB 190829A with 3.3 TeV[43] [44] and then GRB 221009A with 18 TeV.[45] [46] |
| GRB | Distance | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GRB 090429B | z=9.4 | [47] (photometric redshift) | |
| z=8.2 | |||
| z=6.7 | |||
| GRB 060116 | z=6.60 | The high foreground extinction for this event makes this photometric redshift estimate very uncertain.[48] | |
| GRB 140515A | z=6.33 | [49] | |
| z=6.295 | |||
| 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. | |
| GRB 090423 | April 2009 - May 2011 | z=8.2 | This was the first GRB to become the most distant object in the universe.[50] | |
| GRB 080913 | September 2008 - April 2009 | z=6.7 | [51] | |
| GRB 050904 | September 2005 - September 2008 | z=6.29 | [52] [53] | |
| January 2000 - September 2005 | z=4.50 | [54] [55] | ||
| December 1997 - January 2000 | z=3.42 | |||
| GRB 970508 | May 1997 - December 1997 | z=0.835 | First GRB with its distance determined |