A "Transient" Gamma Ray Burst (GRB-060218)

Something is happening in a small portion of the sky toward the constellation of Aries and telescopes around the globe are tracking an unusual Transient there as it changes day by day. No one is sure what it will do next. The entire space mystery began on Feb. 18 when the Earth-orbiting Swift Satellite noticed an unusual Transient began to glow dimly in Gamma Rays. Dubbed GRB-060218, the object is a type of GRB but the way its brightness changes is very unusual. Since detection, GRB-060218 has been found to emit light across the whole electromagnetic spectrum, including radio waves and visible light. Above: Sx -> the Sloan Digital Sky Survey image of the field of GRB-060218 well prior to its Swift trigger and Dx -> the same field, taken by the orbiting Swift Satellites' UV-Telescope after the Swift trigger.
The oddball GRB is visible in the center of the right image. Subsequent observations found a redshift for the transient of z=0.033, showing it to be only about 440 MLY away, relatively nearby, compared to typical GRBs. Whether GRB 060218 represents a new type of gamma ray burst, a new type of supernova, or an unusual link between the GRBs and supernovas has become an instant topic of research.