Gamma Ray Burst Visible At Record Distance

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."

Comments

To put that in perspective-

[Naughty Bob]

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

Phew

[OrochimaruVoldemort]

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