GRB 010921: Discovery of the first high energy transient explorer afterglow

P. A. Price, S. R. Kulkarni, E. Berger, S. G. Djorgovski, D. A. Frail, A. Mahabal, D. W. Fox, F. A. Harrison, J. S. Bloom, S. A. Yost, D. E. Reichart, A. A. Henden, G. R. Ricker, R. Van Der Spek, K. Hurley, J. L. Atteia, N. Kawai, E. Fenimore, C. Graziani

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

34 Scopus citations

Abstract

We report the discovery of the optical and radio afterglow of GRB 010921, the first gamma-ray burst afterglow to be found from a localization by the High Energy Transient Explorer satellite. We present optical spectroscopy of the host galaxy, which we find to be a dusty and apparently normal star-forming galaxy at z = 0.451. The unusually steep optical spectral slope of the afterglow can be explained by heavy extinction, Av > 0.5 mag, along the line of sight to the GRB. Dust with similar Av for the host galaxy as a whole appears to be required by the measurement of a Balmer decrement in the spectrum of the host galaxy.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)L121-L125
JournalAstrophysical Journal
Volume571
Issue number2 II
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 1 2002

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Astronomy and Astrophysics
  • Space and Planetary Science

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'GRB 010921: Discovery of the first high energy transient explorer afterglow'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this