BATSE Gamma-Ray Burst Sky Map

The BATSE instrument was specifically designed to test whether gamma-ray bursts are distributed in the galactic plane. Within a year of the April 5, 1991 launch of the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory, BATSE proved that they are not confined to the galactic plane, but that they are instead isotropically distributed.

BATSE observes approximately six gamma-ray bursts per week. The current gamma-ray burst sky map is given below in galactic coordinates, with the most recent ten gamma-ray bursts plotted in red. The BATSE map is updated every Sunday morning, and the bursts are complete up to the previous Thursday. The map projection preserves area.

Map by Robert Mallozzi

Galactic coordinates give the direction to an object relative to the center of our galaxy. In the map, the galactic center is at longitude 0° and latitude 0°, and the galactic plane lies along the 0° latitude.

The average statistical error for the gamma-ray burst positions in the 3B catalog of 1122 bursts is 4.7°, and the estimated systematic error is 1.6°. The patches of clustering and avoidance in the above map are statistically insignificant.