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Huge Star Quake Rocks Milky Way

Posted by Zonk on from the hold-on-sol! dept.

SJrX writes "The BBC is reporting that scientists have detected "the biggest explosion observed by humans within [the past 400 years]". The explosion luckily occured about 50,000 light years away form us, on the far side of the Milky Way, as the article goes on to say that had the explosion been within 10 light years of us, it "would possibly have triggered a mass extinction.""

2 of 548 comments (clear)

  1. More Informative by dev_sda · · Score: 5, Informative

    I though that the New scientist article on it was a bit more informative.

  2. Re:Excuse me but... by Ced_Ex · · Score: 5, Informative

    10 light years is really close... Thats like only 3 times the distance form us to the sun.

    Considering that it takes 8 mins for light from the sun to reach Earth, I think your calculations are a bit off.

    365 days x 24 hours x 60 mins = 525600 mins/year

    525600 mins/year x 10 years = 5256000 mins

    5256000 mins / 8 mins = 6.57x10^6 times

    Therefore 10 light years is actually 6.57x10^6 times the distance from us to the sun.

    QED

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