Record-Breaking X-Ray Blast, So Bright It Blinded Space Observatory Briefly

Space.com ^ | 07/14/2010 | Space.com

[The Magical Mischief Tour]

A violent cosmic explosion has unleashed the brightest blast of X-rays ever detected from distant space, a signal so bright it temporary blinded the NASA space telescope assigned to spot it.

The powerful explosion, called a gamma-ray burst, was detected by NASA's Swift observatory, scientists announced Wednesday. Gamma-ray bursts are narrow beams of intense radiation shot out when stars explode in supernovas. In addition to gamma-ray light, they also produce X-rays and other forms of radiation, including visible light.

This recent event, dubbed GRB 100621A, was particularly powerful.

[The Magical Mischief Tour]

So the question I need answered is...

Do I need to go buy a new microwave, or just toss my TV dinner up on the roof and bring the dog inside?

[HiTech RedNeck]

Swift's measurements showed that the burst emitted 143,000 X-ray photons per second during its short period of greatest brightness. That's more than 140 times brighter than the brightest continuous X-ray source in the sky – a neutron star that releases a steady 10,000 X-ray photons per second.

How does this math work? And does this mean emitted in all directions all told or per so much angular area or at the telescope or what?

[C19fan]

If the gamma ray burst is close enough it would fry the earth.

[KoRn]

/mark

[HiTech RedNeck]

This still sounds like an awful feeble beam as light sources that are noticeable by humans go. Don’t worry about the dog and keep using your microwave.

[doorgunner69]

It’s cool, I keep[ my tin-foil cap close at hand for just these moments............

[The Comedian]

Do I need to go buy a new microwave, or just toss my TV dinner up on the roof and bring the dog inside?

Turn up the AC, and if you have some handy, layer your roof with 6 meters of solid lead.

Frowning takes 68 muscles.
Smiling takes 6.
Pulling this trigger takes 2.
I'm lazy.

[Zeppo]

How does this math work?

The author needs a refresher course in multiplication...

[blueplum]

so the light or the gamma rays impacted our satellite (and us) on Summer Solstice, June 21st? that date is quite a coincidence! any crop circles predict it? (thumbing through calendar to see where dogs were that day....)

[Rockingham]

The burst is directional and narrow as it propagates from the polar regions of the nova or supernova. If concentrated enough, a gamma ray burst would devastate life on earth.

[raybbr]

Light from this explosion traveled through space for 5 billion years before slamming into Swift, overwhelming its X-ray camera. The observatory, launched in November 2004, was designed specifically to hunt for gamma-ray bursts, though scientists didn't count on a blast quite so strong.

How could they possibly know the date of origin?

[Errant]

So that’s why my solar cells have really been cranking out the watts...

[HiTech RedNeck]

Or there is some per-XYZ conversion factor in there that is not being mentioned.

[CharlesWayneCT]

So, are we all sterile now?

[The Duke]

Of course the explosion probably happened 20 million years ago.

[HiTech RedNeck]

The standard calculations of old-universe, big-bang cosmology are implied here. It's explained at various old earth creationist sites as www.reasons.org

[Nateman]

If a Gamma Ray Burster is ever close enough to cook a dinner you won't really need to worry about where to eat it.

[al baby]

They base it on the gulf oil rig explosion times the number of days till obama is out of office divided by the number of days it has been leaking then the you take the number of states 57 whichever is bigger

[C19fan]

I would guess like Hubble did with visible red shift there is a similiar doppler effect in the EM spectrum of these bursts.