Intergalactic 'shot in the dark' shocks astronomers

User rating: 4.6 / 5 after 42 vote(s)

The robotic Palomar 60-inch telescope imaged the afterglow of GRB 070125 on Jan. 26 2007. RIGHT: An image taken of the same field on February 16 with the 10-meter Keck I telescope reveals no trace of an afterglow or a host galaxy. The white cross in ...
The robotic Palomar 60-inch telescope imaged the afterglow of GRB 070125 on Jan. 26, 2007. RIGHT: An image taken of the same field on February 16 with the 10-meter Keck I telescope reveals no trace of an afterglow, or a host galaxy. The white cross in this zoom-in view marks the GRB's location. The two nearest galaxies, and their distances, are marked with arrows. Credit: B. Cenko, et al.

A team of astronomers has discovered a cosmic explosion that seems to have come from the middle of nowhere — thousands of light-years from the nearest galaxy-sized collection of stars, gas, and dust. This "shot in the dark" is surprising because the type of explosion, a long-duration gamma-ray burst (GRB), is thought to be powered by the death of a massive star.


Full story »
All News summaries from Space & Earth science news
All News summaries for December 18, 2007

Future of flagship Mars mission up in the air

14 minutes ago | User rating: not rated yet
(AP) -- Will NASA's flagship mission to Mars fly next year? The space agency could decide as early as Friday whether to cancel, delay or proceed with plans to launch a nuclear-powered, SUV-size rover to the red planet.

As Colorado Heats Up, Water Supply Expected to Be at Risk, Says New Study

21 minutes ago | User rating: not rated yet
(PhysOrg.com) -- Water resource managers may have to prepare for a warmer Colorado and a shift in the timing of runoff in most of the state's river basins, according to a new assessment of Colorado climate ...

CoRoT discovery challenges the definition of extra-solar planets

2 hours ago | User rating: not rated yet
(PhysOrg.com) -- The CoRoT satellite has discovered a planet-sized object so exotic that astronomers are unsure whether to call it a planet. The object, named CoRoT-Exo-3b, is approximately the same size as ...

MESSENGER Returns Images from Oct. 6 Mercury Fly-By

2 hours ago | User rating: not rated yet
MESSENGER is the first mission sent to orbit the planet closest to the sun. On Oct. 6, 2008, at roughly 4:40 a.m. ET, MESSENGER flew by Mercury for the second time this year. During the encounter, the probe ...

Report debunks China energy myth

2 hours ago | User rating: not rated yet
A detailed analysis of powerplants in China by MIT researchers debunks the widespread notion that outmoded energy technology or the utter absence of government regulation is to blame for that country's notorious air-pollution ...
Goto Archive PhysOrg Forum Goto Archive Video Goto Archive Editorials Goto Archive Free Magazines Goto Archive Newsletter

News Archive