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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2009
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Massive Gamma Blast Spotted

Explosion had force of 9,000 supernovas

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(Newser) – The strongest-ever gamma ray blast—a burst more powerful than 9,000 exploding stars—has been detected 12.2 billion light years away in deep space, reports the Telegraph. The blast took place in September in the constellation Carina, and produced energy up to 5 billion times that of light. Astronomers believe that gamma ray bursts occur when stars exhaust their nuclear fuel and collapse.

According to NASA, a gamma ray explosion shines hundreds of times more brightly than a supernova, and trillions of times more brightly than the sun. They are the most intense explosions since the Big Bang and help scientists determine the origins of the universe. This most recent blast was found by NASA's Fermi telescope and detailed in the journal Science.

The Fermi Gamma Ray Space Telescope, which detected the largest ever gamma ray blast.
The Fermi Gamma Ray Space Telescope, which detected the largest ever gamma ray blast.   (Wikimedia)
This drawing shows a massive star collapsing to form a black hole. Energy released as jets along the axis of rotation forms a gamma ray burst that lasts from a few milliseconds to minutes.
This drawing shows a massive star collapsing to form a black hole. Energy released as jets along the axis of rotation forms a gamma ray burst that lasts from a few milliseconds to minutes.   (NSF/Wikimedia)
An artist's impression of a gamma ray burst.
An artist's impression of a gamma ray burst.   (Wikimedia)
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If you think about it in terms of energy, X-rays are more energetic because they penetrate matter. These things don't stop for anything—they bore through and that's why we can see them from enormous distances.
- astrophysicist Frank Reddy of NASA

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5 comments
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NutsInNY
Feb 20, 09 6:55 PM CST
Always flag aclepd.com's spam ... unless he eventually has something to contribute... so that there may be a little less noise in our noisy world...
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gregconquest
Feb 20, 09 7:39 PM CST
I agree about flagging comments from aclepd. He is speaking on everything as if he's in the know and then directing traffic to his site. He spends 30 seconds writing something vaguely interesting, and then gets 100's/1,000's of visits to his site as a result. Reply
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TerrifiedCitizen
Feb 20, 09 7:42 PM CST
It's maddening that the heavenly bodies seem to keep exploding without losing their place in rotation and without surrounding the earth with space junk... it seems that cluttering space is strictly man's domain and it costs only billions of dollars to play space explorer which might feed all of the starving little children on the African continent until they become adults. But instead, we have a never-ending list of important useful discoveries from space that benefit not only the earth, but every living thing on it. Go ahead, start listing all those wonderful products off that you are personally aware of... go ahead! Reply
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oaktree777
Feb 21, 09 1:19 PM CST
Perhaps instead of railing against science you should be contacting your representatives in Congress to get them to take care of all the starving kids in Africa. Or, better yet, how about YOU go to Africa, talk with their corrupt leadership who refuses to help their own countrymen, and get them to change their ways...go ahead!!
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riffran
Feb 21, 09 12:43 AM CST
reminds me of the ringworld series....look out for the Peirsons puppeteers...lol Reply
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