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Gamma Ray Burst Visible At Record Distance

Posted by kdawson on from the do-not-look-directly-into-the-supernova dept.

Invisible Pink Unicorn writes "A gamma ray burst detected on March 19 by NASA's Swift satellite has set a new record for the most distant object that could be seen with the naked eye. The burst had a measured redshift of 0.94, meaning the explosion took place 7.5 billion years ago. The optical afterglow from heated gas was 2.5 million times more luminous than the most luminous supernova ever recorded, making it the most intrinsically bright object ever observed by humans in the universe. The previous most distant object visible to the naked eye is the nearby galaxy M33, a relatively short 2.9 million light years from Earth."

4 of 68 comments (clear)

  1. To put that in perspective- by Naughty+Bob · · Score: 3, Interesting

    If I read correctly, a GRB of this magnitude occurring 2700 light years away would be as bright as the sun. Ouch.

    --
    "Be light, stinging, insolent and melancholy"
  2. Phew by OrochimaruVoldemort · · Score: 3, Interesting

    so long as it isn't 100-900 light years away, the earth wouldn't be destroyed. still, it is going to be in the night sky for at least a few months

    --
    If people can get past, can they get future? Best way to confuse a stoner
  3. Without the red shift... by Ungrounded+Lightning · · Score: 2, Interesting

    If I read correctly, a GRB of this magnitude occurring 2700 light years away would be as bright as the sun. Ouch.

    Ouch indeed. (I'm sure somebody will check your math and adjust the distance if necessary. So let's go with the premise of a solar input's worth from nearby.)

    At that sort of distance the red shift would be virtually nonexistent. A kilowatt per square meter of gamma rays would make you toasty warm all the way through, not just on the skin.

    Also: Goodbye DNA and RNA. Presuming you're still alive (for some value of alive) after the flash you'd be running on the proteins you've already got for your last few days. Then the deep ocean and rift vent critters get their chance. (Presuming, of course, that an associated neutrino flux didn't get them and the planet has to start from scratch.)

    --
    Bantam Dominique roosters crow a four-note song. Once you've heard it as "Happy BIRTHday" you can't NOT hear it that way
  4. It's all because of A. C. Clarke's death by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 2, Interesting

    You do not believe me? Have you ever read The Star? Yes, it is but a silly fantasy of mine, yet I shall paraphrase it nevertheless: "Oh Universe, there were so many stars in the Milky Way you could have used. What was the need to put a whole distant galaxy (with civilizations, perhaps) to the fire, that this giant fireworks (admittedly much more breathtaking than a mundane supernova) might honour the great writer having just passed away?"

    --
    Ezekiel 23:20