Gamma-ray bursts: An overview

Gamma Ray Bursts were discovered by researchers studying data from gamma ray detectors aboard the Vela satellites. Since the original discovery, over 500 bursts have been observed by more than a dozen experiments on planetary spacecraft, earth orbiters, balloon flights, and even ground based instruments. Unfortunately, a description of the nature of these transient phenomena is no closer today than two decades ago. Part of the problem lies in the large variability in their physical characteristics. This variability has spawned more than 40 gamma ray burst models. Each model claims some subset of the 500 observed bursts that conclusively proves its validity. A very brief overview is presented of the gamma ray burst phenomenon.