Mystery Probed in Record-Setting Cosmic Explosion Posted: 2 years ago by AutumnLotus
Last September, a supernova burst into a cosmic flame 100 times more intense than any event on record—and left scientists scratching their heads. Now, two new studies attempt to explain the remarkable explosion. One sets up the explosion with a cannibalistic star, while the other describes how colliding layers of jettisoned gas could outshine all other supernovae.
Comments: 0 Score: [-] 177 [+].
AKARI captures birth of cosmic dust from supernova explosion Posted: 2 years ago by AutumnLotus
Detailed images of the birth of cosmic dust were captured for the first time. A star that is about to die after a supernova explosion expels materials like cosmic dust into space, which will be the raw materials for planets and other life.
Comments: 0 Score: [-] 258 [+].
Baffling Cosmic Explosion Comes Out of Nowhere Posted: 2 years ago by AutumnLotus
A cosmic explosion that seems to have come out of nowhere—thousands of light-years from the nearest collection of stars—has left astronomers baffled. The blast, one of the brightest this year, was detected by spacecraft from the Inter-Planetary Network on Jan. 25 and satellites were used to pinpoint its location to a region of the sky in the constellation Gemini.
Comments: 1 Score: [-] 237 [+].
Eta Carinae Shows High Energy X-Rays On Our Cosmic Doorstep Posted: 2 years ago by AutumnLotus
ESA’s Integral has made the first unambiguous discovery of high-energy X-rays coming from a rare massive star at our cosmic doorstep, Eta Carinae. It is one of the most violent places in the galaxy, producing vast winds of electrically-charged particles colliding at speeds of thousands of kilometres per second. VIDEO included.
Comments: 0 Score: [-] 257 [+].
Farthest Known Object: New Gamma-Ray Burst Smashes Cosmic Distance Record Posted: 7 months ago by AutumnLotus
Astronomers have discovered the most distant object in the universe -- a spectacular stellar explosion known as a gamma-ray burst located about 13 billion light years away.
Comments: 1 Score: [-] 300 [+].
Swift and Gemini probe mysterious explosion in the distant past Posted: 2 years ago by AutumnLotus
Using the powerful one-two combo of NASA’s Swift satellite and the Gemini Observatory, astronomers have detected a mysterious type of cosmic explosion farther back in time than ever before. The explosion, known as a short gamma-ray burst (GRB), took place 7.4 billion years ago, more than halfway back to the Big Bang.
Comments: 0 Score: [-] 232 [+].
The world's first movie of black hole birth Posted: 2 years ago by AutumnLotus
The date of 2008.03.19 marked the brightest ever cosmic explosion observed from the Earth. The outburst denoted as GRB 080319B was probably the death of a massive star leading to the creation of a black hole. Watch video here.
Comments: 1 Score: [-] 355 [+].
Echo of Ancient Cosmic Explosion Seen Posted: 2 years ago by AutumnLotus
Astronomers recently captured a supernova's blinding flash "echoing" off dust 400 light-years from the detonation site in the Large Magellanic Cloud — which means Earthly observers may have seen the original blast 400 years ago.
Comments: 0 Score: [-] 357 [+].
Cosmic time warp revealed in slow-motion supernovae Posted: 2 years ago by AutumnLotus
Once upon a time, time was different. Supernova explosions in the early universe appear to age more slowly than today's supernovae, as if time itself was running slower back then, according to a recent series of astronomical observations. This cosmic time warp is exactly what should be produced by the expansion of the universe, confirming conventional big bang theory.
Comments: 0 Score: [-] 351 [+].
Tiny Star Unleashes Huge Explosion Posted: 2 years ago by AutumnLotus
A tiny star recently unleashed what is considered the brightest burst of light ever seen in the universe from a normal star. Shining with only 1 percent of the sun's light and boasting just a third of the sun's mass, this run-of-the-mill star previously was nothing to write home about.
Comments: 0 Score: [-] 260 [+].
Star explodes halfway across universe Posted: 2 years ago by dollyllama
The explosion of a star halfway across the universe was so huge it set a record for the most distant object that could be seen on Earth by the naked eye.
Comments: 2 Score: [-] 397 [+].
Star Explosion Highlights "Purple Rose of Virgo" Posted: 3 years ago by niceplime
Star Explosion in it's beauty
Comments: 0 Score: [-] 23 [+].
Radiation Flashes May Help Crack Cosmic Mystery Posted: 2 years ago by AutumnLotus
Faint, fleeting blue flashes of radiation emitted by particles that travel faster than the speed of light through the atmosphere may help scientists solve one of the oldest mysteries in astrophysics - the origin of cosmic rays—subatomic particles of matter that stream in from outer space.
Comments: 0 Score: [-] 129 [+].
Cosmic Supermagnet Spreads Mysterious 'Morse Code' Posted: 2 years ago by AutumnLotus
Astronomers from SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research have discovered mysterious pulses that are being emitted by an extremely magnetic star. The magnetic star, a magnetar, emits the pulses as very high energy X-rays.
Comments: 1 Score: [-] 242 [+].
Man-made star to unlock cosmic secrets Posted: 6 months ago by AutumnLotus
When the world's most powerful laser facility flicks the switch on its first full-scale experiments later this month, a tiny star will be born on Earth.
Comments: 4 Score: [-] 386 [+].
An Oxygen Factory in a Nearby Galaxy Posted: 2 years ago by AutumnLotus
This Chandra X-ray Observatory image shows the debris of a massive star explosion in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a small galaxy about 160,000 light years from Earth. The supernova remnant (SNR) shown here, N132D, is the brightest in the Magellanic clouds, and belongs to a rare class of oxygen-rich remnants. Most of the oxygen that we breathe on Earth is thought to have come from explosions similar to this one.
Comments: 0 Score: [-] 182 [+].
Youngest Exploding Star Discovered Posted: 2 years ago by AutumnLotus
About 140 years ago, our time, a stellar explosion lit up our galaxy with a blinding flash of light, sending out powerful shock waves to boot. Now, astronomers have spotted the youthful remains from the explosion.
Comments: 0 Score: [-] 353 [+].
NASA Predicts Huge Cosmic Explosions Posted: 2 years ago by AutumnLotus
Astronomers are now able to predict when a certain type of star will let loose a powerful eruption. The explosions occur on a neutron star, a city-sized remnant of a giant star that exploded in a supernova long ago and collapsed into a hyperdense ember. It now siphons material from a companion star while the two objects orbit each other every 3.8 hours.
Comments: 0 Score: [-] 313 [+].
Russian explosion is escalating in severity Posted: 2 years ago by pocksucket
Yesterday this was being reported as a gas pipeline explosion (http://www.russiatoday.ru/news/news/11413). Today it has become an explosion at a nuclear power station (assuming it is the same explosion - not sure). Here are some photos and vids.
If these are the same explosion, the way it is unfolding is reminding me a lot of how the Chernobyl/Pripyat explosion was reported
Comments: 0 Score: [-] 91 [+].
New Risk to Earth Found in Supernova Explosions Posted: 2 years ago by AutumnLotus
An explosive star within our galaxy is showing signs of an impending eruption, at least in a cosmic time frame, and has for quite some time. From 1838 to 1858, the star called Eta Carinae brightened to rival the light of Sirius, the brightest star in the sky, and then faded to a dim star. Since 1940 it has been brightening again, and scientists think Eta Carinae will detonate in 10,000 to 20,000 years.
Comments: 0 Score: [-] 213 [+].
Massive Star Mystery: Do They Explode? Posted: 2 years ago by AutumnLotus
Some of the most massive stars might not explode as supernovae, a new study suggests. Rather, researchers speculate, they simply collapse into black holes or if they do generate explosions, they're not as intense as the deaths of less massive stars.
Comments: 1 Score: [-] 279 [+].