Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Thanks to Neutrino Detector, We Might Get a Good Look At the Next Supernova

Posted by timothy on from the let's-stay-out-of-the-actual-blast-radius dept.

sciencehabit writes "The last star to go supernova in the Milky Way—that astronomers know of—exploded in 1604, before Galileo first turned a telescope to the heavens. But with a neutrino detector now being built within a Japanese mountain that could come online as early as 2016, researchers might be able to do something as yet undone: Make detailed observations of a supernova in our galaxy before it visibly explodes. First, astronomers would be alerted to the unfolding event by the flood of neutrinos generated when a supernova collapses. Within minutes, they could determine the general area of the sky where the explosion would occur, point their infrared telescopes in that direction, and wait for the fireworks. With the new sensor in place, instruments—especially infrared telescopes—would have an almost 100% chance of observing the next supernova in our galaxy, the researchers report."

3 of 85 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Unless the NSA Co-Opts It To Track Terrorists by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    haha, good luck getting good enough resolution for that...

  2. Re:When I read news like this by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 3, Insightful

    those super novas are so far away, and might have existed even longer than earth and our solar system.

    Not in their own frame of reference. They explode precisely because they're too heavy, after a fairly short life. Remember, obesity can screw your retirement plans!

    --
    Ezekiel 23:20
  3. Re: Sonderkommando by M.+Baranczak · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Godwinned within an hour of posting. On an article about a fucking neutrino detector. Way to go, guys.