Cosmic distance record 'broken'

Gerald · 05-25-11, 07:43 PM

A cataclysmic explosion of a huge star near the edge of the observable Universe may be the most distant single object yet spied by a telescope.

Scientists believe the blast, which was detected by Nasa's Swift space observatory, occurred a mere 520 million years after the Big Bang.

This means its light has taken a staggering 13.14 billion years to reach Earth.

Details of the discovery will appear shortly in the Astrophysical Journal.

The event, which was picked up by Swift in April 2009, is referred to by astronomers using the designation GRB 090429B.

The "GRB" stands for "gamma-ray burst" - a sudden pulse of very high-energy light that the telescope is tuned to find on the sky.

These bursts are usually associated with extremely violent processes, such as the end-of-life collapse of giant stars.

"It would have been a huge star, perhaps 30 times the mass of our Sun," said lead researcher Dr Antonino Cucchiara from the University of California, Berkeley.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13539914

Note: 25 May 2011 Last updated at 18:12 GMT

05-25-11, 07:43 PM	#1
Gerald SUBSIM Newsman Join Date: May 2008 Location: Close to sea Posts: 24,254 Downloads: 553 Uploads: 0	Cosmic distance record 'broken' A cataclysmic explosion of a huge star near the edge of the observable Universe may be the most distant single object yet spied by a telescope. Scientists believe the blast, which was detected by Nasa's Swift space observatory, occurred a mere 520 million years after the Big Bang. This means its light has taken a staggering 13.14 billion years to reach Earth. Details of the discovery will appear shortly in the Astrophysical Journal. The event, which was picked up by Swift in April 2009, is referred to by astronomers using the designation GRB 090429B. The "GRB" stands for "gamma-ray burst" - a sudden pulse of very high-energy light that the telescope is tuned to find on the sky. These bursts are usually associated with extremely violent processes, such as the end-of-life collapse of giant stars. "It would have been a huge star, perhaps 30 times the mass of our Sun," said lead researcher Dr Antonino Cucchiara from the University of California, Berkeley. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13539914 Note: 25 May 2011 Last updated at 18:12 GMT __________________ Nothing in life is to be feard,it is only to be understood. Marie Curie