<p><font size="1" color="#000080"><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'> I can find 2 constellations in the sky with the help of my second grader, no sarcasm intended.In the aforementioned article, it states that a real death star located 8,000 light years away could scorch the earth or hit it with a gamma blast. It further states that such a blast "travels at the speed of light"..so it would have no warning. If it gives no warning, how do we know that it hasn't already discharged and is already headed towards us??Astrophysics 101... <br /> Posted by Lothair</DIV></font></p><p>Well, at present, if I understand it correctly, the star in question is "unlikely" to be able to produce a gamma-ray burst of that type. That doesn't mean it can't, it only means that it doesn't represent a prime-candidate considering what is currently known.</p><p>But, if certain changes take longer than 8000 years to come to pass before that star becomes a "prime candidate" then we may know something by observing those changes. So, in five-hundred years, maybe we'd see a trend developing that goes hand in hand with current ideas about GRBs. That could be the type of "warning" we'd get.</p><p>Just assumptions on my part. I don't know the particulars about this star and its GRB candidacy. </p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="1">I put on my robe and wizard hat...</font> </div>