Starburst Was One of Brightest Objects Observed on Earth

NY Times ^ | February 18, 2005 | KENNETH CHANG

[neverdem]

NASA's news release:

Cosmic Explosion Among the Brightest in Recorded History

[neverdem]

ping

[neverdem]

FReepmail me if you want on or off my health and science ping list.

[King Prout]

as usual, I missed it.

[King Prout]

dead star went boom.

[Dawsonville_Doc]

You didn't miss it- you got bathed in gamma rays just like everybody else ;-)

[Attention Surplus Disorder]

I knew I felt something weird in December...turns out all those gamma rays exfoliated my inner child.

[King Prout]

HULK SMASH!

[zeugma]

I can't believe this things rotational velocity. From what I understand, they normally spin much faster than that. The best example of why is the classic one of an ice skater twirling with her arms out. She pulls them in and spins faster. Imagine the spin that would be imparted when an object collapsed from something as big or likely bigger tan our sun into a sphere a dozen miles across.

I seem to recall microsecond and faster rotation times for neutron stars. Could be my addled brain playing tricks on me again.

[Dawsonville_Doc]

ROFLMAO!
It's not easy being green...

[King Prout]

oh, I dunno bout that... (see your email)

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Earlier article about these magnetars:

Biggest stars produce strongest magnets

[King Prout]

DD - ping to 12

EATB, ya might be so kind as to add Dawsonville_Doc to your astrophysics pinglist?

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Here is the technical paper(PDF):magnetars

[Dawsonville_Doc]

Yes, please!!!!

[Blue Jays]

Hi All-

Starburst Was One of Brightest Objects Observed on Earth? For a minute, I thought it said Starbucks Was One of Brightest Objects Observed on Earth. That's a relief!

The barristas I've met at Starbucks usually aren't that bright (but they think they are with their Theater History degrees) and generally have multiple face piercings and green hair.

OK, back to the topic at hand...

~ Blue Jays ~

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Their is a comment about this spin rate being slower ( due to the intense magnetic Fields I think) at this Link:

`MAGNETARS', SOFT GAMMA REPEATERS
VERY STRONG MAGNETIC FIELDS

It is at the bottom of the table follwing the Section titled: March 5th Burst Theories.

[neverdem]

Thanks for the links.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

I really have not been keeping a ping list on this topic, I think Neverdem is though, although it might be broader than what some would like.

I built the ping list above from those that had commented on the thread I put up a link to.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

fyi