Mysterious Energy Burst Stuns Astronomers

Science Daily ^ | 28 sep 07 | staff

[saganite]

Science Daily — In a shock finding, astronomers using CSIRO’s Parkes telescope have detected a huge burst of radio energy from the distant universe that could open up a new field in astrophysics.

The research team, led by Assistant Professor Duncan Lorimer of West Virginia University, reported its discovery in the journal Science Express.

The radio burst appears to have originated at least one-and-a-half billion light-years [500 Mpc] away but was startlingly strong.

“Normally the kind of cosmic activity we’re looking for at this distance would be very faint but this was so bright that it saturated the equipment,” said Professor Matthew Bailes of Swinburne University in Melbourne.

The burst was so bright that at the time it was first recorded it was dismissed as man-made radio interference. It put out a huge amount of power (10exp33 Joules), equivalent to a large (2000MW) power station running for two billion billion years.

[saganite]

ping

[Army Air Corps]

Sorry, it was me.

[al baby]

thats just so Al baby

[muawiyah]

Sounds like we finally pulled tone.

[RichInOC]

Let me guess...God’s having ZOT practice?

[JoeSixPack1]

The Borg!

[Army Air Corps]

10^33 Joules!

Just...damn!

[saganite]

How many Janskis is that?

[NormsRevenge]

Mysterious Energy Burst Stuns Astronomers

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Astronomers Stuned by Mysterious Energy Burst

There.. a strange title either way..

—

I used to have mysterious energy bursts, usually on payday.. and weekends ..

[Greg F]

the last gasp of a black hole as it evaporates completely

Black holes evaporate? What is he talking about?

[Nachoman]

Scientist were disappointed when the decoded signal revealed “do run run, do run run”.

[Army Air Corps]

Do want any butter or jam on that toast?

[bannie]

We need to build a nice, sturdy bag. Then, the next time we get one of these we can catch it and use it--for, like, STUFF, y'know.

[saganite]

Just looking around for some way to offer an explanation. I don’t think the Astronomers suggested such a thing. Since the article speculates these things happen more than once a day they should get more data quickly now that they know what to look for.

[Army Air Corps]

One Jansky is equivalent to 10^−26 watts per square metre per hertz.

[saganite]

No, it’s do run run run da do run run.

[Greg F]

“The burst may have been produced by an exotic event such as the collision of two neutron stars or be the last gasp of a black hole as it evaporates completely,” Professor Lorimer said.

He's a professor; I would assume of astronomy.

[saganite]

Cool. I just remembered that term from Contact. Always wondered what it meant. Not that I’m sure even now!

[JoeSixPack1]

No ma’am, dry.