Huge gamma-ray blast spotted 12.2 bln light-years from earth

Huge gamma-ray blast spotted 12.2 bln light-years from earth

news.yahoo.com

WASHINGTON (AFP) – The US space agency's Fermi telescope has detected a massive explosion in space which scientists say is the biggest gamma-ray burst ever detected, a report published Thursday in Science Express said.

The spectacular blast, which occurred in September in the Carina constellation, produced energies ranging from 3,000 to more than five billion times that of visible light, astrophysicists said.

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Stronger than 9000 super nova's , this was one huge explosion! We can count our blessings that it was not closer to earth, fortunately it was located 12.2 billion light years away. Still quite an event anyway IMO. These gamma ray bursts are best veiwed from as far away as possible, given their deadly nature.

news.yahoo.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

reply to post by space cadet


That's quite a long way away, not to mention that the age of the explosion must also be near the age of the universe so many years ago, catching up to us now if it's 12.2 billion light years away.

I still struggle in trying to understand if the Universe is infinite, or finite...

Is there an edge to the universe, does it end... or does the space lapse for quadrillions of light years to a new quadrant full of other matter... and on and on into infinity.

reply to post by YouAreDreaming


It is a lot to take in, when considering the size or limits, if there are any, to the universe. I think the gamma ray burst is still very interesting, if it were closer we most likely would not be here, it would burn up everything in it's path.

reply to post by space cadet


It is certainly fascinating. I have been watching some of the solar flares from the Sun, we can face some devastating energy bursts if the sun burps out too much energy.

Do black holes explode? The milky way is slowly being eaten up by the central mass black hole spiraling us towards the center.

Awww mann you beat me to it =[ lol.

Originally posted by YouAreDreaming
I still struggle in trying to understand if the Universe is infinite, or finite...

Is there an edge to the universe, does it end... or does the space lapse for quadrillions of light years to a new quadrant full of other matter... and on and on into infinity.

I've come across this question a few times, so I'll try to explain it to the best of my abilities.

The material universe (meaning all the matter in the currently known universe) is likely finite.
The space it occupies is infinite. Space is merely a void. A simple emptiness, where the 3 dimensions X,Y,and Z still go on infinitely.

However, here's where things get sketchy.

Given that space is infinite, and we are finite, if you travel far enough away from the material universe we know of, you will probably find another one... and another... and another... but it's going to be INCREDIBLY far before you find anything else... I'm talking further than any of us can possibly imagine, not infinitely far, but it might as well be.

(I know, this violates the definition of Universe... but we've been mis-using that definition, making it mean "OUR massive collection of galaxies with a single center", rather than it's original meaning of "everything".)

Basically, we're just not advanced enough yet to really be thinking beyond our own huge collection of galaxies... we can't see beyond the limits of our collection of galaxies yet.


Is there an end to the material universe we currently know of? Absolutely.
Can you go beyond the end of it? Yep.
Are there others? Very likely, but probably so far you'll never get there.
Is there an end to space itself? No.



Back to the OP Article.

9,000 super novas?
This has to be some form of residual buildup of energy from the original expansion being released with some delay.
Like a spring bouncing after you've just kicked a bucket of them over.

Then again... I suppose everything could be thought of as such.

Either way, that's some force!
Not your typical firecracker.

[edit on 20-2-2009 by johnsky]

reply to post by johnsky


Wow. The thought of space being like that is just amazing, unconcievable, I cannot grasp how to put that in my head. God I love space!

Originally posted by space cadet
Wow. The thought of space being like that is just amazing, unconcievable, I cannot grasp how to put that in my head. God I love space!

Given that you understood, means you just did put that in your head.

But you're right, we'll never get it all in our heads, I keep trying to shove it all in my head... I should realize by now it's futile, that's the nature of infinity... but I keep trying.
... one day I'll wind up mad. You'll see. Rotten teeth, ratty hair and all.

Just, say hi when you walk past me barking orders at pigeons.

[edit on 20-2-2009 by johnsky]

reply to post by johnsky


Some great thoughts Johnsky,

I think along the same lines, that perhaps this quadrant has its material limits, but beyond its edge, we may discover another matter populated section.

Space itself is so massive in it's finite state, to imagine that it's infinite is really baffling.

The explosion of the big bang, this mega nova, all the forces at work... so amazing that it even spawned intelligent life, long enough to survive the ever exploding, ever expanding change of matter.

It's threads like these that really get the imagination going. I love it.

Ummm 12 billion light years?
hahaha
That probably happened long ago.
In fact its so far away, it probably never actually happened at all.

Originally posted by BorgHoffen
Ummm 12 billion light years?
hahaha
That probably happened long ago.

Yeah, about 12 billion years ago.




... sorry, I had to. You left that wide open.

I wonder if any spilled over onto the asteroid belt.

Check out this theory some scientists have about huge gammay-ray blasts.

New theory: Gamma-ray blast spawned planets

Originally posted by BorgHoffen
Ummm 12 billion light years?
hahaha
That probably happened long ago.
In fact its so far away, it probably never actually happened at all.

Let's just hope it never happens close to home. I read somewhere that a gamma ray burst of 20 seconds that was directly exposed to the Earth would be enough to cause mass extinction and fry the planet.

www.space.com...

reply to post by johnsky


What makes things even more confusing (Yes, EVEN MORE)

is that, your description of the universe is probably not correct.

There is no way to know whats at the end of the universe, if there is an end.

We barley skimmed the surface of our own Solar system haha!

But your guess is sure as hell as good as mine!

I'm afraid Humans will never know what's really beyond our home.
(I'd love to be wrong though!)

Anyway, good thing that we are beyond that blasts reach!
Although if I was to die, a Unimaginable cosmic explosion would be a good way to go right?

You know it happened so long ago.
That its like predicting that it happened.
"I had a psychic vision there was a gamma ray burst in this section of the Universe"

Originally posted by space cadet
Wow. The thought of space being like that is just amazing, unconcievable, I cannot grasp how to put that in my head. God I love space!

... And there I was thinking space is that region between my ears where my brain is supposed to be

Just wondering could this massive gamma burst possibly be evidence of a white hole?

Can someone compute the size of this explosion in terms of our own system? would that explosion completely engulf the sun and a few planets or this whole system?

I believe we're not alone and its sad to know that whole systems with life we can only fathom was destroyed in that explosion. Were they more advanced than we are now? were they more populated in terms of different planets having different forms of life communicating with each other unlike us knowing (for now) we're the only intelligent form in our system? Makes me wonder...........

reply to post by yizzel


That's what she said.....

Seriously though, I don't have time to research, I am about to get off from work, but I honestly have never heard of a 'white hole' in the universe. I will have to check that out tonight!

reply to post by sos37


Hey sos, that is what I was thinking about when the article caught my eye, I have seen some documentaries on it, I wonder now if those like what we are seeing, so far away, still have the potential to do the same kind of damage or has it long burned out? Those concepts of space/time are what to me are hard to wrap my head around.