Symbology Posted March 25, 2008 Report Posted March 25, 2008 3/21/2008A Stellar Explosion You Could See on Earth! Astronomers are familiar with seeing amazing things through their telescopes. But nothing prepared them for an incredible explosion detected early Wednesday morning by NASA's Swift satellite. At 2:12 a.m. EDT, Swift detected an explosion from deep space that was so powerful that its afterglow was briefly visible to the naked eye. Even more astonishing, the explosion itself took place halfway across the visible universe! The explosion was so far away that it took its light 7,500,000,000 (7.5 billion) years to reach Earth! In fact, the explosion took place so long ago that Earth had not yet come into existence. NASA - A Stellar Explosion You Could See on Earth! Quote
modest Posted March 25, 2008 Report Posted March 25, 2008 Nasa gave the glory to Arthur C. Clarke. Very fitting and very sad. Swift normally detects about two gamma ray bursts per week. But March 19 was a special day. The satellite detected four bursts on that day, which is a Swift record for one day. “Coincidentally, the passing of Arthur C. Clarke the day before seems to have set the universe ablaze with gamma ray bursts,” says Swift science team member Judith Racusin of Penn State University in University Park, Pa. -modest Quote
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