Astronomers witnessed a star torn apart by a black hole

[twiztidsinz]

On March 28, 2011, NASA’s Swift satellite caught a flash of high-energy X-rays pouring in from deep space. Swift is designed to do this, and since its launch in 2004 has seen hundreds of such things, usually caused by stars exploding at the ends of their lives.

But this time was hardly "usual". It didn’t see a star exploding as a supernova, it saw a star literally getting torn apart as it fell too close to a black hole!

The event was labeled GRB 110328A –a gamma-ray burst seen in 2011, third month (March) on the 28th day (in other words, last week). Normal gamma-ray bursts are when supermassive stars collapse (or ultra-dense neutron stars merge) to form a black hole. This releases a titanic amount of energy, which can be seen clear across the Universe.

And those last two characteristics are certainly true of GRB 110328A; it’s nearly four billion light years away*, and the ferocity of its final moments is not to be underestimated: it peaked at a solid one trillion times the Sun’s brightness! [/p]
I apologize for the semi-misleading title, there was not enough room for the full title and it was cut off.
Lots more information and details in the full article below. It is a very interesting read.

Source

 

[FAST6191]

Awesome, some good space stuff happening and set to be seen in the next few years it seems.

 

[Gameking-4]

and we're next.....

 

[Nujui]

and we're next.....

Probably not in our lifetime.

 

[awssk8er]

So if GRB110328A was four billion light years away, that means this technically happened four billion years ago, but wasn't visible to us now?

 

[Nujui]

So if GRB110328A was four billion light years away, that means this technically happened four billion years ago, but wasn't visible to us now?

Light years means how many years it takes for us to even see it. If it happen 4 billion years ago, we won't be able to see it for 4 billion years. It must have been 4 billion light years today, so it was able to be seen.

Edit:Typo.

 

[phoenix1234]

it’s nearly four billion light years away*

* Or, to be pedantic, it took nearly four billion years for the light from the explosion to get here. i doubt our galaxy was even formed then

 

[awssk8er]

So if GRB110328A was four billion light years away, that means this technically happened four billion years ago, but wasn't visible to us now?

Light years means how many years it takes for us to even see it. If it happen 4 billion years ago, we won't be able to see it for 4 billion years. It must have been 4 million light years today, so it was able to be seen.

Ok, that's what I thought, but it seemed pretty hard to believe that the sattelite can see that far away.

 

[gamerjr]

it’s nearly four billion light years away*

* Or, to be pedantic, it took nearly four billion years for the light from the explosion to get here. i doubt our galaxy was even formed then

We estimate that the universe is at least 15 billion years old

edit:
oh wait our galaxy, but still im not even into the field and im sure the milky way was formed

 

[s4mid4re]

it’s nearly four billion light years away*

* Or, to be pedantic, it took nearly four billion years for the light from the explosion to get here. i doubt our galaxy was even formed then

Actually, Earth formed 4.5 billion years ago so it happened on Earth's 500 millionth Anniversary

So the Milky Way should've formed way before that.

And yeah, light year is how many years it takes the light to reach us (or wherever you are referring to)

EDIT: one light year is equal to: about 5,878,625,373,183.608 miles (about 6 trillion miles) source

 

[phoenix1234]

Actually, Earth formed 4.5 billion years ago so it happened on Earth's 500 millionth Anniversary laugh.gif
So the Milky Way should've formed way before that.

And yeah, light year is how many years it takes the light to reach us (or wherever you are referring to)

EDIT: one light year is equal to: about 5,878,625,373,183.608 miles (about 6 trillion miles)

so thats 6 Trillion X 4 Billion = ??? Miles

 

[Deleted-236924]

We estimate that the universe is at least 15 billion years old

I'm pretty sure we'd all end up going crazy if we tried to imagine what it was like before the universe existed.

 

[BobTheJoeBob]

Wait wait wait, so did this or did this not happen 4 billion years ago?

 

[Defiance]

Wait wait wait, so did this or did this not happen 4 billion years ago?

You are correct.

 

[BobTheJoeBob]

Wait wait wait, so did this or did this not happen 4 billion years ago?

You are correct.

I need an answer!

 

[Defiance]

Wait wait wait, so did this or did this not happen 4 billion years ago?

You are correct.

I need an answer!

Yeah, I just wanted to mess you you. If it's 4 billion light years away and we're now just seeing it, then it happened 4 billion years ago.

 

[Fishaman P]

Wait wait wait, so did this or did this not happen 4 billion years ago?

You are correct.

I need an answer!

Yes, this happened 4 billion years ago.

 

[Raiser]

It astonishes me at how we can see that far and make assumptions on how old the universe is when we can't even get very far from our own planet.

 

[Jamstruth]

For those trying to get their head around the distance I must consult the HitchHiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

"Space," it says, "is big. Really big. You just won't believe how vastly hugely mindboggingly big it is. I mean you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist, but that's just peanuts to space. Listen ..." (...)

To be fair though, when confronted by the sheer enormity of distances between the stars, better minds than the one responsible for the Guide's introduction have faltered. Some invite you to consider for a moment a peanut in reading and a small walnut in Johannesburg, and other such dizzying concepts.

The simple truth is that interstellar distances will not fit into the human imagination.

Even light, which travels so fast that it takes most races thousands of years to realize that it travels at all, takes time to journey between the stars. It takes eight minutes from the star Sol to the place where the Earth used to be, and four years more to arrive at Sol's nearest stellar neighbour, Alpha Proxima.

For light to reach the other side of the Galaxy, for it to reach Damogran for instance, takes rather longer: five hundred thousand years.

The record for hitch hiking this distance is just under five years, but you don't get to see much on the way.

The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy says that if you hold a lungful of air you can survive in the total vacuum of space for about thirty seconds. However it goes on to say that what with space being the mind boggling size it is the chances of getting picked up by another ship within those thirty seconds are two to the power of two hundred and sixty-seven thousand seven hundred and nine to one against.

Basically. If you can comprehend them then you are a better man than I. I can barely comprehened the size of the Earth.

As for this event. Awesome, even if it is old news (4 billion years old). Black Holes are so damned powerful. Love the halo of light around it as the light curves due to its gravity (I think anyway)

 

[Dr Eggman]

Nevermind. Not a physicist. XD