Supernova caught exploding on camera

[MannyPim]

<p>From story:</p><p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Excited astronomers said on Wednesday they had for the first time caught a <span style="background:nonetransparentscrollrepeat0%0%;cursor:hand;border-bottom:mediumnone" class="yshortcuts">supernova</span> on camera just as it was exploding, and they may now learn how to spot others. </p><p>By luck, they spotted a burst of X-rays while looking at another part of a distant galaxy, and managed to turn a variety of telescopes in the right direction just in time.</p><p>"For years, we have dreamed of seeing a star just as it was exploding," said Alicia Soderberg of <span class="yshortcuts">Princeton University</span> in <span class="yshortcuts">New Jersey</span>, who led the international team of astronomers.</p><p>"We were in the right place, at the right time, with the right telescope, on January 9th and witnessed history," she added in a statement.</p><p>------</p><p>In real time, they are seeing events that occurred 88 million years ago -- but in Earth time they are just occurring and the astronomers can watch the supernova as if it really were exploding just now.</p><p>"Using the most powerful radio, optical and X-ray telescopes on the ground and in space we were able to observe the evolution of the explosion right from the start," said Edo Berger, who like Soderberg is a Carnegie-<span style="background:nonetransparentscrollrepeat0%0%;cursor:hand;border-bottom:mediumnone" class="yshortcuts">Princeton</span> fellow.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080521/sc_nm/supernova_dc</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Really exciting stuff. Especially since we think we have learned how to detect and cath other Supernovas as they happen. I expect a great deal will be learned from direct real time observation with a range of instruments that can look at the entire spectrum.</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="2" color="#0000ff"><em>The only way to know what is possible is to attempt the impossible.</em></font> </div>

 

[michaelmozina]

I must admit I'm pretty excited by this particular piece of news.&nbsp; It sounds like a fantastic stroke of luck, and good sweat equity science.&nbsp; Very cool. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> It seems to be a natural consequence of our points of view to assume that the whole of space is filled with electrons and flying electric ions of all kinds. - Kristian Birkeland </div>