# The key role of BeppoSAX in the GRB history

## TL;DR

This paper reviews the pivotal role of BeppoSAX in discovering GRB afterglows, which confirmed their cosmological origins and transformed understanding of these cosmic explosions over the past twenty years.

## Contribution

It provides a comprehensive review of BeppoSAX's discoveries and their impact on GRB research, highlighting the shift from mystery to understanding of GRB origins.

## Key findings

- BeppoSAX discovered the first GRB afterglow in 1997.
- This discovery established GRBs as cosmological events.
- The paper discusses ongoing challenges and future prospects in GRB research.

## Abstract

Twenty years have already been elapsed from the BeppoSAX discovery of the first afterglow of a Gamma Ray Burst (GRB) on February 28, 1997. Thanks to this discovery, it was possible to unveil the 30 year mystery about GRB origin: GRBs are huge explosions in galaxies at cosmological distances. Starting from the first GRB detection with Vela satellites, I will review the main results obtained before BeppoSAX, the story of the BeppoSAX discovery of the GRB afterglow with the consequent cosmological distance determination, the main BeppoSAX results and those obtained after the BeppoSAX era until to nowadays with the still open problems and prospects.