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Farthest-Ever Star Blast From Ancient Cosmos

Gamma ray burst took 13 billion years to reach Earth

By Jason Farago,  Newser Staff

Posted Oct 29, 2009 8:09 AM CDT

(Newser) – Astronomers have detected a cosmic object more distant than any ever seen: a gamma ray burst about 13 billion light-years from Earth. The massive, luminous burst occurred about 600 million years after the Big Bang—that is, when the universe was 4% of its current age—and only lasted for about 12 seconds. Scientists say the ancient burst allows an unprecedented view into the earliest days of the universe.

A gamma ray blast takes place when a star dies, collapsing in on itself to form a huge black hole and releasing massive amounts of energy. Two independent groups of astronomers observed the blast, which was first detected by a NASA satellite, reports National Geographic. "This is the last blank bit of the map of the universe: the time between the Big Bang and the formation of these early galaxies," said one of the astronomers.

An artist's rendering of a gamma-ray burst. A burst 13 billion light-years away is the furthest object from Earth yet observed.
An artist's rendering of a gamma-ray burst. A burst 13 billion light-years away is the furthest object from Earth yet observed.   (Wikimedia)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 14 comments
cochiserocks
Oct 30, 2009 12:38 PM CDT
ha ha ha nice one Stasis. Although seriously, you do know the dinosaur fossils are just put there by the devil to test us right?
JoeQ
Oct 30, 2009 2:30 AM CDT
Of course the gamma ray burst is by now down in the low radio spectrum from cosmological red-shift. Pretty cool though. Funny how the Earth is working out to be almost exactly 1/3 of the age of the universe.
George_Taylor
Oct 29, 2009 11:34 AM CDT
@Wisconsin, oh you got it right!

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