By Ron Cowen
Editor’s note: Set to appear in the Sept. 11
Nature
is a report on a record-setting gamma-ray burst. Below is an
updated version of the story, which was originally reported March
22 online at
Science News.
For 40 seconds on March 13, a pinpoint of light suddenly appeared in the constellation Bootes, shining more brightly then 10 million galaxies. The radiation accompanied a powerful stellar explosion halfway across the universe and set two records: It was the most distant naked-eye object ever recorded from Earth and the most luminous.
For 40 seconds on March 13, a pinpoint of light suddenly appeared in the constellation Bootes, shining more brightly then 10 million galaxies. The radiation accompanied a powerful stellar explosion halfway across the universe and set two records: It was the most distant naked-eye object ever recorded from Earth and the most luminous.