10 Comments

1. 1. Steakhouse 08:21 AM 3/26/08

   dinasours would still be here

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2. 2. Dologan 10:59 AM 3/26/08

   "Researchers calculate that if the explosion had happened on our solar system, it would have lit up the sky like the noonday sun." Just that? I would thought that if it happened in our solar system, everything would have been blown up to smithereens. Perhaps they meant galaxy?

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3. 3. alphachapmtl 01:23 PM 3/26/08

   You're right. Something is wrong in that statement!
   The sun is not currently exploding and already it light up the sky like the noonday sun, which it is.

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4. 4. whybird 12:53 AM 3/27/08

   This blog entry suggests calling this event "The Clarke Event", in honour of Authur C Clarke, who coincidentally passed away mere hours after this light reached the Earth. I'm not an astronomer, but I am a supporter of the idea.

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5. 5. patriarch 10:56 AM 3/27/08

   There are more things between heaven and earth than are dreamed of in your philosophy, Horatio...(Shakespeare)

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6. 6. gcollins 03:13 PM 3/27/08

   The [url http://www.science.psu.edu/alert/Swift3-2008.htm]press release from Penn State[/url] worded it this way:
   
   "These
   optical flashes from gamma-ray bursts are the
   most extreme such phenomena that we know of,"
   says Derek Fox, assistant professor of astronomy
   and astrophysics at Penn State, who confirmed the
   distance measurement for the burst. "If this
   burst had happened in our galaxy it would have
   been shining brighter than the Sun for almost a
   minute -- sunglasses would definitely be advised."
   
   Pop quiz: If the burst was 7.5 billion light years away and at its brightest had an [url http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apparent_magnitude]apparent magnitude[/url] of about 5.5, how close would it have needed to be to appear as bright as the Sun (apparent magnitude -26.7)?

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7. 7. Larry Wampler 02:00 AM 3/31/08

   This GRB is a lopsided blaster.
   By Oneline

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8. 8. VladoZ 11:37 PM 3/31/08

   Does anyone know if this burst occured around the time the universe accelerated its inflation? Please email at vzachary@tufts-nemc.org

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9. 9. alphachapmtl 12:11 AM 4/1/08

   No.
   The age of the universe is estimated at 13.7 ± 0.2 billion years.
   Inflation occured barely 10^−35 sec after that.

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10. 10. gidi17 01:46 PM 4/3/08

    Without calculating for obscuring gas, Gcollins pop quiz answer would be about 2700 ly. How is obscuration added to the equation?

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