Huge Quake Cracks Star

www.space.com ^ | 27 September 2005 | Bjorn Carey

[Esther Ruth]

By Bjorn Carey LiveScience Staff Writer posted: 27 September 2005 12:01 am ET

Astronomers have found the first evidence of cracks in a neutron star's crust. The star cracked when it was rocked by the strongest "starquake" ever recorded, researchers said last week.

Last December, astronomers worldwide monitored the explosion that caused this starquake. The eruption was huge – in the first 200 milliseconds of the event the star released energy equivalent to what our Sun produces in 250,000 years. It was the brightest explosion ever detected outside of the Milky Way.

Now scientists have used a collection of data from various satellites to provide the first observational evidence that the blast caused the star to form cracks several miles long. Scientists hope these cracks will provide a window into the mysterious interiors of neutron stars.

[Esther Ruth]

"The eruption was huge – in the first 200 milliseconds of the event the star released energy equivalent to what our Sun produces in 250,000 years. It was the brightest explosion ever detected outside of the Milky Way."

[Esther Ruth]

Luke 21:25: And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;

[highlymotivated]

Someone tell Mikey Mooreon to lay OFF of the refried beans.

[HKMk23]

"...the beginning of birth pangs..."

[Esther Ruth]

"SGR 1806-20 is 50,000 light-years away, but the blast was so huge it temporarily blinded some satellites and briefly altered Earth's upper atmosphere. A similar blast occurring within 10 light-years of our planet would fry Earth's ozone layer. But don't worry – the closest magnetar is 13,000 light-years away."

[CheneyChick]

Great passage...

[MineralMan]

"And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; "

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Indeed! Such things happen all the time. Of course they will continue to happen. Name a time when such things were not happening.

[nomorelurker]

Paging Dr. Robert L. Forward, Paging Dr. Forward !!!!

[michigander]

SGR 1806-20 is 50,000 light-years away

So this event really happened 50,000 years ago.

[dfwgator]

I thought there was an earthquake in Hollywood.

[meanie monster]

Don't you agree that strange things are happening more frequently?

[highlymotivated]

No. Nothing but religious hysteria.

[randog]

Yet another example of the devastation of global warming.

</sarcasm>

[devane617]

Cosmic thought dude...

[MizSterious]

Must be because of Earth's "global warming." Or at least, I expect it to be spun that way.

[SlowBoat407]

"SGR 1806-20 is 50,000 light-years away, but the blast was so huge it temporarily blinded some satellites and briefly altered Earth's upper atmosphere. A similar blast occurring within 10 light-years of our planet would fry Earth's ozone layer. But don't worry – the closest magnetar is 13,000 light-years away."

Yet we're shocked... shocked! when the avg. temp on earth goes up 3 degrees in 50 years and have to blame on cars and factories, never considering that the sun could have just burped.

[Steely Tom]

Be glad our sun is a "minor star" located in a nondescript outer arm of our galaxy, with lots of light-years between us and the interesting stuff.

[rightwingreligiousfanatic]

What did Bush know and when did he know it?

I suppose Halliburton will get the contract to refurbish this star.... hmmmmm?

[Sthitch]

You beat me to it.

[HKMk23]

So this event really happened 50,000 years ago.

That IS what the collected EMF suggests. Anyone out there doing radiological dating of photons so we can get a cross-check, here?