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Supernova Detonates In Empty Space

mlimber tips a story in New Scientist about a powerful cosmic explosion that has astronomers scratching their heads. It apparently resulted from a supernova detonating in empty space, far from any galaxy. Researchers propose that the exploding star was in the gas trail yanked out of a galaxy when it passed or began merging with another. Quoting the lead author of the study: "Even if the galaxies have stopped forming stars, in the tidal tails you can trigger new episodes of star formation [not to mention detonation]." The research will be published in the Astrophysical Journal.

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  1. Re:What? by sm62704 · · Score: 0, Offtopic
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    mcgrew's razor: Never attribute to stupidity that which can be explained by greedy self-interest