'Monster' cosmic blast zipped harmlessly by Earth

[yuiyoshida]

Source: Yahoo.com



WASHINGTON (AP) — Astronomers call it the monster. It was the biggest and brightest cosmic explosion ever witnessed. Had it been closer, Earth would have been toast.

Orbiting telescopes got the fireworks show of a lifetime last spring when they spotted what is known as a gamma ray burst in a far-off galaxy.

The only bigger display astronomers know of was the Big Bang — and no one, of course, was around to witness that.

"This burst was a once-in-a-century cosmic event," NASA astrophysics chief Paul Hertz said at a news conference Thursday.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/monster-cosmic-blast-zipped-harmlessly-earth-191349814.html

[Deep13]

1. I'm sure this is somehow Obama's fault. nt

[ChairmanAgnostic]

17. and it is proof that there is no global warming.

warning.

Whatever.

[Deep13]

19. Exactly. To protect ourselves from gamma rays bursts...

...we should cut taxes for the rich.

[Burf-_-]

2. Voyager

If we don't learn very soon to work together as "humanity" and learn to look at the "BIG PICTURE" like this one. None of our petty bickering about which, "party", "Country", or "religion" will matter anymore. We will be extinct and obliterated from existence for all time. We must Evolve to be more than we currently are. We must focus on goals that are beyond this world and to do this it will take a massive one world collective effort. Humanity will eventually fade in cosmic time, but we can try to leave a legacy behind by "boldly going, where no one has gone before." Is that too cliche for you ? Do you think it's still possible ? Think along a longer time line than just your own lifetime, think longer than modern history, project your mind into the past and future as far as you can. Envision where we might go, and what we might accomplish. Stop making movies about it and put that money to work for real, let's stop fantasizing about it and start doing it; because it IS more likely we will destroy ourselves and the only world we have ever known due to our own stubborn, sacrosanct, earthly ways.

[babydollhead]

6. yes

welcome to DU!

[nikto]

3. This was just The Mysterians' first wave of attack

Next, will come, Moguera...

[Enthusiast]

4. I remember The Mysterians.

My mother had dropped me and my sister off at a movie theater to watch it. But, for some reason she came back before the picture was over and took us out. I was very disappointed. It wasn't until 50 or so years later that I got to see the movie in its entirety. I narrowly escaped being scarred for life.

[NutmegYankee]

18. Why is that?

The scarred for life part?

[Enthusiast]

21. It was just my lame attempt at humor. nt

[BumRushDaShow]

5. This event happened almost 4 billion years ago and we are just now detecting it nt

[RC]

7. How can that be when the Earth is only 6000 years old?

Didn't them astronomers add up the ages of them old people in the the Bible? God' not even that old, ya know?















I'd better add this, just in case, 'cause, well you know, this is the New DU:

[nadinbrzezinski]

8. Hold it, the earth is

Is just 5774 years old!!!! We just celebrated that birthday!

(I am way too cynical when you start talking about it, and in a moment of brilliance, it's been 5774 years since the holy text was actually commisioned by a man, and written by four groups of scribes. Now I can buy that one!!! It is a tad older but)

[FSogol]

9. It happend 4 billion years ago and is suitable for Late Breaking News?

[yuiyoshida]

10. Yup, it takes time

to go through Time and Space... Just ask the DOCTOR!

[Javaman]

11. Cosmic news travels slow. nt

[paleotn]

13. hey, electromagnetic radiation can only travel so fast, ya know!

...give it a break, will ya. And it's not our fault we live in a cosmic backwater, where exciting stuff rarely happens.

[The Stranger]

12. Oh Shit. They're shooting at us.

Take cover.

[snagglepuss]

15. Since it's so distant doesnt that mean the blast happens millions of years ago?

[Posteritatis]

20. Billions; our solar system's only a few hundred million years older than it. (nt)

[DiverDave]

16. Gamma rays can unzip DNA

Very high doses can kill everything.

So it's really lucky this missed.
Course, nobody would be around to say anything about a High dose Gamma Ray burst.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_harmful_effects_of_gamma_rays

[muriel_volestrangler]

23. 'missed' isn't really accurate; it happened a quarter of the way across the visible universe

so it was weak by the time it got to us. Anything that far away has dissipated by the time it gets to us, however tight the beam may look.

[randome]

25. Oh? Really?

[hr][font color="blue"][center]Stop looking for heroes. BE one.[/center][/font][hr]

[yuiyoshida]

26. HULK SMASH!!

unless its ice cream, than Hulk EAT!!!

[IDemo]

22. This is the sort of event that Carl Sagan suggested could be used

to signal other civilizations "We saw that, too" by beaming a radio signal on the same path as the gamma ray burst or supernova.

[randome]

24. 'Monster comic blast'? You mean we missed all those free...oh.

Cosmic.

Never mind.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Stop looking for heroes. BE one.[/center][/font][hr]