SETI bioastro: Fw: ESA's X-ray space telescope proves supernova can cause mysterious gamma-ray

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From: LARRY KLAES (ljk4@msn.com)
Date: Thu Apr 04 2002 - 06:20:42 PST

Previous message: LARRY KLAES: "SETI bioastro: Fw: update.583"

----- Original Message -----
From: science.webmaster@esa.int
Sent: Thursday, April 04, 2002 5:45 AM
To: ljk4@msn.com
Subject: ESA's X-ray space telescope proves supernova can cause mysterious gamma-ray bursts

Gamma-ray bursts are the most powerful explosions ever detected
in the Universe. They are also one of the greatest mysteries of
modern astronomy, since so far no clear evidence has existed to
prove what causes them. Until now, there have been two 'prime
suspects' for what makes gamma-ray bursts, the collision of neutron
stars - dead, ultra-dense stars - or the death of very massive
stars in supernova explosions. The new results from the XMM-Newton
X-ray space telescope rule out the first hypothesis and confirm
the second, at least for the gamma-ray burst that occurred on
December 11, 2001.