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Ichingcarpenter

(36,988 posts)
Sat Jun 7, 2014, 05:41 AM Jun 2014

Light from huge explosion 12 billion years ago reaches Earth

Intense light from the enormous explosion of a star 12.1 billion years ago -- shortly after the Big Bang -- recently reached Earth and was observed by a robotic telescope. Known as a gamma-ray burst, these rare, high-energy explosions are the catastrophic collapse of a star at the end of its life. Astronomers can analyze the observational data to draw further conclusions about the structure of the early universe.




Intense light from the enormous explosion of a star more than 12 billion years ago -- shortly after the Big Bang -- recently reached Earth and was visible in the sky.

Known as a gamma-ray burst, light from the rare, high-energy explosion traveled for 12.1 billion years before it was detected and observed by a telescope, ROTSE-IIIb, owned by Southern Methodist University, Dallas.

Gamma-ray bursts are believed to be the catastrophic collapse of a star at the end of its life. SMU physicists report that their telescope was the first on the ground to observe the burst and to capture an image, said Farley Ferrante, a graduate student in SMU's Department of Physics, who monitored the observations along with two astronomers in Turkey and Hawaii.

Recorded as GRB 140419A by NASA's Gamma-ray Coordinates Network, the burst was spotted at 11 p.m. April 19 by SMU's robotic telescope at the McDonald Observatory in the Davis Mountains of West Texas.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/06/140604105532.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Ftop_news%2Ftop_science+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Top+Science+News%29#.U49slR3E7UY.reddit

I have a hard time wrapping my brain around this story and claim.

7 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Light from huge explosion 12 billion years ago reaches Earth (Original Post) Ichingcarpenter Jun 2014 OP
Yeah... chervilant Jun 2014 #1
As Buzz lightyear says. Ichingcarpenter Jun 2014 #2
Bwahahahahaha! chervilant Jun 2014 #4
I think Two Girls Without Jobs comes right after the Big Bang Leme Jun 2014 #3
Me too. Enthusiast Jun 2014 #5
Try this scenario: defacto7 Jun 2014 #6
I'm really not prejudiced against gamma ray bursts: I just don't want them struggle4progress Jun 2014 #7

chervilant

(8,267 posts)
4. Bwahahahahaha!
Sat Jun 7, 2014, 08:09 AM
Jun 2014

I've actually used that quote in my math classes, especially when discussing coordinate planes and asymptotes. (I think a good sense of humor can help "demystify" math, the oldest game we humans have created.)

 

Leme

(1,092 posts)
3. I think Two Girls Without Jobs comes right after the Big Bang
Sat Jun 7, 2014, 08:02 AM
Jun 2014

but I don't watch much of the commercial tv.
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edit: I am not anti science btw, but I didn't understand Quark much in physics class... I did better with Quark on Star Trek. At one time I thought I understood some of that e =mc2, but that did not last long. really

Enthusiast

(50,983 posts)
5. Me too.
Sat Jun 7, 2014, 07:03 PM
Jun 2014

The physics of this find does not compute in my limited understanding. But I believe this is how our heavier elements are created, in such an explosion. Seems to me that this star had to have been an incredible distance away.

Bueller? Anyone?

defacto7

(13,485 posts)
6. Try this scenario:
Sat Jun 7, 2014, 11:41 PM
Jun 2014

When 2 neutron stars with density of 1 Mt. Everest per cubic gram and about 20 km in diameter collide, they create brief flashes of gamma rays that release more energy in a fraction of a second than what our entire galaxy releases in one year also creating a vertically orientated magnetic field 10,000,000,000,000,000 (10 quadrillion) times stronger than the Earth’s magnetic field.

Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

http://phys.org/news/2011-04-powers-short-gamma-ray.html

struggle4progress

(118,032 posts)
7. I'm really not prejudiced against gamma ray bursts: I just don't want them
Sun Jun 8, 2014, 07:16 AM
Jun 2014

driving down the property values in my neighborhood

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