The Cosmic Shredder and the Magnetar

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An artist's impression of the Swift spacecraft with a gamma-ray burst going off in the background. Credit: Spectrum Astro.
No, it is not the title of the next Harry Potter book - but the latest discoveries from NASA's Swift mission which is studying gamma-ray bursts (GRB's) - the most powerful explosions occurring in the Universe. As reported in Nature today, scientists from the UK, USA, Italy and Sweden have witnessed the probable destruction of a neutron star by a black hole.


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All News summaries for December 15, 2005

NASA delays Hubble mission 2 days due to storms

2 hours ago | User rating: not rated yet
(AP) -- NASA has delayed next month's space shuttle launch to the Hubble Space Telescope by two days.

Spiky Probe on NASA Mars Lander Raises Vapor Quandary

3 hours ago | User rating: not rated yet
(PhysOrg.com) -- A fork-like conductivity probe has sensed humidity rising and falling beside NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander, but when stuck into the ground, its measurements so far indicate soil that is thoroughly ...

Cassini Images Ring Arcs Among Saturn's Moons

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(PhysOrg.com) -- NASA's Cassini spacecraft has detected a faint, partial ring orbiting with one small moon of Saturn, and has confirmed the presence of another partial ring orbiting with a second moon. This ...

Astronomer Discovers Upper Mass Limit for Black Holes

3 hours ago | User rating: not rated yet
There appears to be an upper limit to how big the universe’s most massive black holes can get, according to new research led by a Yale University astrophysicist.

Robot Scout: Fly Me (Safely) to the Moon

6 hours ago | User rating: not rated yet
The first attempt to land humans on the moon -- Apollo 11 -- was a triumph that almost ended in disaster. At just 400 feet from the lunar surface, with only about a minute's worth of fuel remaining, astronauts ...
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