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Swift catches birth of black hole on camera

the_syco · 2005-05-11 13:06:33

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11-05-2005 2:06pm

#1

the_syco

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Thought ye may be interested in this...

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Astronomers working on the Swift mission have photographed a gamma ray burst they think is likely to be the formation of a new black hole, 2.2bn light-years away. There was a flash of X-Rays just moments after the burst, which itself was very short-lived, followed by an optical afterglow. Astronomers think the explosion was caused by the merging of two neutron stars. The Swift satellite is in orbit to investigate gamma-ray-bursts, the most violent, and mysterious explosions in the universe. It has been designed to respond rapidly to detection of gamma rays - within 20-70 seconds. This turn of speed is vital as the whole explosion can be over in seconds.

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#2 11-05-2005 2:09pm
meditraitor

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Cool

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#3 18-05-2005 5:48pm
Loobz

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2.2 bn light years away, i cant get to grips with such a distance. :eek:

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