YOITSAGRB is a web service that sends you a Yo whenever a gamma-ray burst occurs in the known universe. With our current gamma-ray observatories, humans detect a new GRB every few days, give or take.
How do I subscribe?
Just send a Yo to the username YOITSAGRB.
Why should I subscribe?
For those who aren’t professional astronomers: It’s cool! Every time you get a Yo, somewhere in the universe a massive star has exploded, blasting out a relativistic shock wave that we can detect from millions of light-years away.
For those who are professional astronomers: If you’re interested in rapid GRB followup, you’ll get your Yo about 10 seconds after the trigger email. That usually works out to a 30-second turnaround from when the event is actually detected. Also, it’s still cool!
How do I learn more about GRBs?
The Wikipedia page is definitely a good place to start. You can also check out NASA’s page on the topic or listen to one of their podcasts. There are videos to watch in a NASA press kit related to one of the brightest bursts ever seen. Finally, you can even read a book!
How does it work under the hood?
You can take a look at the source code on the GitHub project page.