Did You See the Supernova Last Week?

[Monkeywoman]

"There is an old adage that goes, “If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?"

A similar question was answered on Friday, “If a star blew up some 6 billion years ago when no one was on Earth, would anyone have seen it?”

The answer to that question is yes, we could see it, last week in fact. A star in a distant, previously unknown galaxy, exploded when the universe was about half its current age, some 6 billion years ago. This star was according to NASA about 40 times larger than our sun.

The explosion of the star resulted in a gamma ray burst that originated 7.5 billion light years away from Earth. It has taken these billions of years for the light from that explosion to reach Earth. NASA’s Swift satellite first detected the gamma rays at 2:12 a.m. Wednesday March 18, 2008.

The light from the explosion would have been visible by the naked eye if anyone had been outside to see last week. So bright was the light that it set a new record for the most distant object to be seen from Earth by the naked eye.

CNN quotes Neil Gehrels from NASA as saying, “Someone would have had to run out and look at it with a naked eye, but didn't.” The light would have appeared in the sky as bright as some of the stars in the handle of the Little Dipper constellation according to astronomer David Burrows. Burrow’s says that “This [explosion] is roughly halfway to the edge of the universe.”

Gehrels added that the explosion would have vaporized any planet nearby. Likely, the gamma ray burst would have eradicated anything in its path for thousands of light years. Earth dwellers had little to worry though, as the explosion took place so far away.
A single Polish observatory is the only verified organization to have taken a ground-based image of the gamma ray burst from the supernova."

source; http://www.dailytech.com/Did+You+See+the+Supernova+Last+Week/article11202.htm

pic; http://images.dailytech.com/nimage/7678_large_GRB080319B_hr_nasa_swift.jpg

[boqonx]

Cool...:shocked:

[cajer]

The same day as the 9800GX2 came out. Is this some sort of hidden symbol? :p:

[cegras]

The same day as the 9800GX2 came out. Is this some sort of hidden symbol? :p:

No, and you should be ashamed for equating nvidia with the infinite majesty of the cosmos.

[just a tiny, weeny, beeny, femtogram serious.]

[twilyth]

With 200-300 billion stars in our own galaxy, it makes you wonder why we haven't been fried yet. We can look for near-earth comets and asteroids, but a gamma ray burst would be a game ender.

[eRacer]

With 200-300 billion stars in our own galaxy, it makes you wonder why we haven't been fried yet.

Given enough time we probably will:

'Death Star' Gamma-Ray Gun Pointed Straight at Earth (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,335186,00.html)

In the Stars: Searching For Armageddons (http://www.spacedaily.com/news/gamma-04h.html)

[fart_plume]

Actually it was spotted the same day that Auther C. Clark died.

[road-runner]

Instant Global Warming!

[Bo_Fox]

Given that the gravitational effects travel so much faster than light, Earth would have felt the gravitational ripples even before it were created (although to a much slighter degree than light). And now the gamma rays have finally arrived!

www.16pi2.com

Light is really slow, like passing down knowledge through thick skulls. However, when pushing comes to shoving, it (gravity) happens almost instantly.

[twilyth]

Given enough time we probably will:

'Death Star' Gamma-Ray Gun Pointed Straight at Earth (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,335186,00.html)

In the Stars: Searching For Armageddons (http://www.spacedaily.com/news/gamma-04h.html)

I liked this quote
There's no need to move planets just yet, however, because Tuthill is uncertain whether Earth is precisely on WR104's axis.

"We probably have hundreds of thousands of years before it blows, so we have plenty of time to come up with some answers," he said.

I forgot that these things are directional. D'oh.

[pauldovi]

Given that the gravitational effects travel so much faster than light, Earth would have felt the gravitational ripples even before it were created (although to a much slighter degree than light). And now the gamma rays have finally arrived!

www.16pi2.com

Light is really slow, like passing down knowledge through thick skulls. However, when pushing comes to shoving, it (gravity) happens almost instantly.

Gravity is limited by the speed of light just like everything else....

[cegras]

How does that link you posted have anything to do with anything? All I see is poorly constructed sight that smacks of conspiracy-type 'I've got a secret to tell you ..'

The effects of gravity and EM are actually field limited, I believe.

[saaya]

if it exploded 6 billion years ago, and its 7.5 billion light years away, then how come we can see it already? :lol:

that doesnt make any sense whatsoever... if its 7.5 billion light years away and we can see the light now then it happened 7.5 billion years ago...makes sense? ^^

[adamsleath]

anyway; to pick up those pic's of a supernova is very cool. thx for sharing.

[Warboy]

Given that the gravitational effects travel so much faster than light, Earth would have felt the gravitational ripples even before it were created (although to a much slighter degree than light). And now the gamma rays have finally arrived!

www.16pi2.com

Light is really slow, like passing down knowledge through thick skulls. However, when pushing comes to shoving, it (gravity) happens almost instantly.

Gravity is limited by the Speed of Light.

Einstein's Relativity (http://youtube.com/watch?v=tpbGuuGosAY)

[flopper]

if it exploded 6 billion years ago, and its 7.5 billion light years away, then how come we can see it already? :lol:

that doesnt make any sense whatsoever... if its 7.5 billion light years away and we can see the light now then it happened 7.5 billion years ago...makes sense? ^^

its the doppler effect ;)
or a short cut.
:shocked:

[strange|ife]

heard about this, some lab was able to stack photo's from the ground and got some nice pics of it for the hour or so it was visible to the naked eye. It was in the order of Magnitude 6.5 candles. Pretty bright

the distance this burst was at was amazing, just wrap your head around this distance! one light year= 5.89 TRILLION miles....FAR

[Warboy]

if it exploded 6 billion years ago, and its 7.5 billion light years away, then how come we can see it already? :lol:

that doesnt make any sense whatsoever... if its 7.5 billion light years away and we can see the light now then it happened 7.5 billion years ago...makes sense? ^^

OMG the Universe has lag...damn aliens stealing all the bandwidth.

[NotFred]

Doppler effect type thing. It was only 6 billion light years away when it exploded. By the time we saw ti it had moved to 7.5 billion.

[Martijn]

With 200-300 billion stars in our own galaxy, it makes you wonder why we haven't been fried yet. We can look for near-earth comets and asteroids, but a gamma ray burst would be a game ender.

We are constantly exposed to cosmic radiation. It happens all the time, we are more exposed when high up in a plane. It's just not that much that it is dangerous. Also, the ozone layer protects us against most spikes.




Doppler effect type thing. It was only 6 billion light years away when it exploded. By the time we saw ti it had moved to 7.5 billion.

Exactly. If you can notice it with moving vehicles, imagine how big the difference would be with extra-terrestrial objects.

[r4gm4n]

:) I remember catching a glimpse of one back in 1999 when I was on holiday in northern france. Had to wait a few months till I got internet till I could read up onit

[berk]

Wow.
I love stuff like this.I've always wondered if stars are cosmic explosions that happened years and years ago,why aren't they disappearing all the time?Here's one time at least.

[Origin_Unknown]

awesome indeed.

Probably best not to worry about other stars blowing up and us with it or gamma rays irradicating us to death.... nowt we can do about it.

[largon]

berk,
Visible stars are not just explosions. Huge majority of them are (likely) active and functioning stars, much like our sun. And since the death of a star isn't that quick a process a dying star doesn't just go black all of a sudden - they mostly fade out within millions of years. Besides, when a star does explode "suddenly" (which isn't that common) it just doesn't go *puff-and-be-gone*. The explosion will take ages.

[Qkjhfhaiguihfma]

With 200-300 billion stars in our own galaxy, it makes you wonder why we haven't been fried yet. We can look for near-earth comets and asteroids, but a gamma ray burst would be a game ender.

the number of stars big enough to actually go supernova is small. and since lifetime is inversely proportional to size, a lot of them may already be dead, depending on how old the milky way is.

[berk]

berk,
Visible stars are not just explosions. Huge majority of them are (likely) active and functioning stars, much like our sun. And since the death of a star isn't that quick a process a dying star doesn't just go black all of a sudden - they mostly fade out within millions of years. Besides, when a star does explode "suddenly" (which isn't that common) it just doesn't go *puff-and-be-gone*. The explosion will take ages.

Very interesting,thankyou. :)

[Empty_Quarter]

just wrap your head around this distance! one light year= 5.89 TRILLION miles....FAR

The thought of that just makes me dizzy.

[Origin_Unknown]

The thought of that just makes me dizzy.


just think about how much petrol you would have to buy :shakes:

[BrownTown]

just think about how much petrol you would have to buy :shakes:

Ya know interestingly enough there IS enough oil on this planet to have a car drive there and back several times (assuming this were physically possible and that the oil would magically be tranported into your tank instead of having to haul it with you).

[del_fuego]

berk,
Visible stars are not just explosions. Huge majority of them are (likely) active and functioning stars, much like our sun. And since the death of a star isn't that quick a process a dying star doesn't just go black all of a sudden - they mostly fade out within millions of years. Besides, when a star does explode "suddenly" (which isn't that common) it just doesn't go *puff-and-be-gone*. The explosion will take ages.

I believe that a dying star becomes a 'red giant', swells to many, many times it's original size consuming everything in its path (planets and all) as it burns the remaining fuel on its outer layers before it eventually explodes with such ferocity that it takes out pretty much anything around it for some incredible distance. Would be a pretty good show i reckon.

[Papu]

I believe that a dying star becomes a 'red giant', swells to many, many times it's original size consuming everything in its path (planets and all) as it burns the remaining fuel on its outer layers before it eventually explodes with such ferocity that it takes out pretty much anything around it for some incredible distance. Would be a pretty good show i reckon.

i'd love to see an explosion of this magnitude.

[Bo_Fox]

Warboy;2879636']Gravity is limited by the Speed of Light.

Einstein's Relativity (http://youtube.com/watch?v=tpbGuuGosAY)

No, there are recent discoveries that gravitational effects travel far faster than light--i.e., if the Sun disappears all at once, Earth would be released in a slingshot immediately, not 8 minutes later.

Those discoveries were made only a couple of years ago. Keep it up, smart guys. (You will have a hard time finding those links now, after Einsteinans deleted it because they thought it went against Einstein's SR theory).

See, with Einstein's SR theory, astronomers are made to calculate orbits using instantaneous forces (which are far greater than some theories that gravity were at least 100 billion times faster than light, or even an order of 40 magnitudes faster).

[grimREEFER]

No, there are recent discoveries that gravitational effects travel far faster than light--i.e., if the Sun disappears all at once, Earth would be released in a slingshot immediately, not 8 minutes later.

Those discoveries were made only 2 years ago. Keep it up, smart guys. (You will have a hard time finding those links now, after Einsteinans deleted it because they thought it went against Einstein's SR theory).

See, with Einstein's SR theory, astronomers are made to calculate orbits using instantaneous forces (which are far greater than some theories that gravity were at least 100 billion times faster than light, or even an order of 40 magnitudes faster).

yea, i heard that same exact example somewhere about how we would continue to see the sun but be flung out of orbit
anyways, i still dont understand how the doppler effect would play into the speed of the light, afaik, it would only effect the color of the light.

[Sneil]

lol mr Bo Fox, that exact example you mentioned would NOT happen. The earth would continue to orbit until the gravity waves have reached the earth. I suggest you do some more reading on general relativity. And yes there is a giant conspiracy agains the advancment of any theoretical or physical evidence that conflicts with Einstien. What is your educational background in physics btw?

To make a valid arguement btw you need to supply some shred of evidence for anyone to not treat you like a fool. Especially when you try to imply us as fools.


See, with Einstein's SR theory, astronomers are made to calculate orbits using instantaneous forces (which are far greater than some theories that gravity were at least 100 billion times faster than light, or even an order of 40 magnitudes faster).
wow...:rolleyes: Better read up on SR as it is clear you have no idea how it works, no where is there any mentioning of instantaneous forces.

and grim you're right the doppler effect has nothing to do with changing the speed oif light but only it's frequency. This is the method used to calculate orbits, not "Instantaneous forces". It's called red shifting and blue shifting.

[Bo_Fox]

lol mr Bo Fox, that exact example you mentioned would NOT happen. The earth would continue to orbit until the gravity waves have reached the earth. I suggest you do some more reading on general relativity. And yes there is a giant conspiracy agains the advancment of any theoretical or physical evidence that conflicts with Einstien. What is your educational background in physics btw?

To make a valid arguement btw you need to supply some shred of evidence for anyone to not treat you like a fool. Especially when you try to imply us as fools.


wow...:rolleyes: Better read up on SR as it is clear you have no idea how it works, no where is there any mentioning of instantaneous forces.

and grim you're right the doppler effect has nothing to do with changing the speed oif light but only it's frequency. This is the method used to calculate orbits, not "Instantaneous forces". It's called red shifting and blue shifting.


EDIT: Apologies--did not want to imply that you are a fool or anything like that, honestly. APOLOGIES, and you are doing quite good for a 3rd year college student. /EDIT

Even Newton's reasonably accurate and simple equation assumes gravity to be instantaneous.

Sorry, here's the link again that explains it all (it is still fairly new): www.16pi2.com

/deleted/

[Sneil]

You sir, are implying yourself as a fool when you ask without acknowledging your creditibility in the first place. It is actually :rofl: how you act like you understand SR theory. Even Newton's reasonably accurate and simple equation assumes gravity to be instantaneous.

Sorry, here's the link again that explains it all (it is still fairly new): www.16pi2.com

Let's not bicker like crybabies or say "but but but" like as if you are a soap opera lady under PMS---let's be men and adhere to ONLY pure mathematical logic where numbers and equations do not lie. There is nothing better than logic and reason (unless you prefer drama).
Alright i am in my third year BA of physics and have a full understanding of SR, it is not a very big subject. And your point about Newtons equations being instantaneous is correct, however he was completely wrong which you should have learned by now if you claim to have any grasp of SR and GR.

[Bo_Fox]

Wow, I am surprised whenever a third-year BA student of Physics can fully understand Einstein's SR theory. When I was in my third year of physics at Rochester Institute of Tech., nearly nobody in my class had any understanding of it. Heck, they barely passed Calculus even.

Well, just go and ask your professor about the speed of gravity. Physicists generally agree upon the fact that the speed of gravity has never been measured yet. There is this popular hypothesis about the "attractive" exchange of gravitons, despite the fact that a graviton has never been empirically observed.

You are right that this example of the sun disappearing and releasing the Earth instantly is quite unrealistic and intangible, but it was just for "illustration purposes". Yes, there are indeed waves via the "seemingly empty" space vacuum that is now found to be filled of dark matter. Aether, or ether, is the medium upon which all waves and forces are communicated and transmitted. An aether unit with mass and length dimensions contains gravitational, electrostatic, and electromagnetic forces that combine into a unified G-Force from which both Newton's gravitational constant and Coloumb's constant can be simultaneously derived, allowing for a properly quantified Unified Force Theory. It is empirically observed as the space vacuum acts as a conducting medium for electrical forces and magnetic fields--heck, even a medium for "waves" to exist.

[tbone8ty]

damn we are so small

[saaya]

Doppler effect type thing. It was only 6 billion light years away when it exploded. By the time we saw ti it had moved to 7.5 billion.thank you very much for clearing this up! :D

[YukonTrooper]

40 times larger than our sun... Explosion would have eradicated everything within thousands of light years...

Explain that one Jesus.

[largon]

Wow, I am surprised whenever a third-year BA student of Physics can fully understand Einstein's SR theory.I've heard someone say that if you think you fully understand Relativity Theory - you really don't.
:p:
An aether unit with mass and length dimensions contains gravitational, electrostatic, and electromagnetic forces that combine into a unified G-Force (...)Whoa!
I didn't know nVIDIA had such an impact on interstellar physics...

[flopper]

just blow up the moon then we can measure if the gravity is direct and fast or not.

[Vargher Warg]

Oh man not again!

I always have the bad luck to miss out these things - I must start keeping my eyes & ears open in the future.

But then again! some things that are very visible to you guys in the Americas, could be more difficult for us to see here - and vice versa!

[XSAlliN]

If Einstein would be part of present time, based on current knowledge his theories would be different. In 100 years some of his theories might be similar to an old theory that stated that "World was Flat". The Space is full of threats, the Earth environment is full of threats, even the human race can be consider a threat to future existence. The real question (in my opinion): Who will be the first...?

PS.My bet is on us (humans), since we show a big potential when it comes to mass destruction...by accident/own will. I mean, the other threats seem so distant away wile we're so close to archiving that, not billions, not millions, not eve thousands - a few hundreds or less.:horse: :CTF: :frag: :explode2: :explode:

[gallardo]

Doppler effect type thing. It was only 6 billion light years away when it exploded. By the time we saw ti it had moved to 7.5 billion.

So... that would mean that Earth and that particular location in space are moving away from each other at a cumulated speed of 1/4 of the speed of light? Blimey, that's fast!




40 times larger than our sun... Explosion would have eradicated everything within thousands of light years...

Explain that one Jesus.

LMAO!



Seriously. The Universe is a cool place. And a big place to live in.
Ponder this:
It would take current highest tech space ships a few years to get to Mars. Mars is ~ 77 million Km away from us.
We are ~ 150 million Km away from the Sun.
The Sun's light reaches us in 8 minutes.
This thing's light reached us in 6 BILLION years.
This thing is halfway to the end of the Universe.


Now... how loud was the Big Bang? :p:

[WangChung]

Now... how loud was the Big Bang? :p:

Easy. It was the only sound to go beyond 11. ;)

[Bo_Fox]

I've heard someone say that if you think you fully understand Relativity Theory - you really don't.
:p: Whoa!
I didn't know nVIDIA had such an impact on interstellar physics...

LOL! GeForce being God, interpreted as a "universal constant!" 1.210x10^44 Newton--the "measurement" of a quantum manifestation of God-force! LOL...:ROTF: (I must be crazy--somebody send me to an asylum!)

[flopper]

40 times larger than our sun... Explosion would have eradicated everything within thousands of light years...

Explain that one Jesus.

God has Mysterious ways.

What can I say?

He is my father and he aint tellin me everything you know.

/Jesus.