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Massive starquake! Brightest galactic flash ever detected. Wow!
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Clinically Insane
Join Date: Dec 1999
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Check this sucker out!
A huge explosion halfway across the galaxy packed so much power it briefly altered Earth's upper atmosphere in December, astronomers said Friday.
No known eruption beyond our solar system has ever appeared as bright upon arrival.
Unfortunately, it wasn't visible to the naked eye cuz it was all gamma rays. If you could've seen it, the flash would've been about the size of our moon!
If it had been closer, say only 10,000 light years, it could have severely disrupted our atmosphere and even cause a mass extinction. How big was the explosion? "The flare on SGR 1806-20 unleashed about 10,000 trillion trillion trillion watts of power." Holy cow. 
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"…I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than
you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods,
you will understand why I dismiss yours." - Stephen F. Roberts
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Dedicated MacNNer
Join Date: May 2005
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Originally Posted by olePigeon
Unfortunately, it wasn't visible to the naked eye cuz it was all gamma rays. If you could've seen it, the flash would've been about the size of our moon!
cool!
(not to mention that explains the large green fellow i saw back in february...) ;-)
be well.
laeth
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Dedicated MacNNer
Join Date: Jul 2005
Status:
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All those gamma rays can't cure my constipation, that much I know!
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Mac Elite
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: ------>
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Originally Posted by Fred_Cokebottle
All those gamma rays can't cure my constipation, that much I know!
Ingest more fiber or the gamma rays have won.
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Mac Elite
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Status:
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Originally Posted by Fred_Cokebottle
All those gamma rays can't cure my constipation, that much I know!
Actually this is not quite true. One of the symptoms of acute radiation poisoning (which can be caused by gamma rays) is diarrhea, because the cells in the lining of one's intestines are rapidly dividing and among the first to be affected (killed) by a big dose of radiation. Of course, a dose that size will probably kill you a few days later, anyway. I'd rather have the constipation!
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Fyre4ce
Let it burn.
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Mac Elite
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Status:
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Wow. I have a knack for killing threads!
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Fyre4ce
Let it burn.
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Baninated
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Dead whale
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I care not for starquakes or flashes.
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Mac Elite
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Helsinki, Finland
Status:
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Missed us again.
But their aim is bound to get better, buggers.
J
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Professional Poster
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Winnipeg, MB
Status:
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Hmmm did we even know this was coming? What if something like this happened closer to us? That'd kinda of wipe out humanity in one fell swoop eh?
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Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Minnesota - Twins Territory
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"I'm for anything that gets you through the night, be it prayer, tranquilizers, or a bottle of Jack Daniel's."
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Mac Elite
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: sic semper tyrannis
Status:
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Originally Posted by nredman
yeah we're all screwed
noone here gets out alive
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one post closer to five stars
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Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Madison, WI
Status:
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Originally Posted by Salty
Hmmm did we even know this was coming? What if something like this happened closer to us? That'd kinda of wipe out humanity in one fell swoop eh?
Wouldn't this be good for those who wanted to go to God? The saved go to Heaven and everyone else goes to Hell. a massive start-burst would steal God's thunder and just speed up that process. Right?
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One should never stop striving for clarity of thought and precision of expression.
I would prefer my humanity sullied with the tarnish of science rather than the gloss of religion.
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Professional Poster
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Winnipeg, MB
Status:
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Originally Posted by dcmacdaddy
Wouldn't this be good for those who wanted to go to God? The saved go to Heaven and everyone else goes to Hell. a massive start-burst would steal God's thunder and just speed up that process. Right?
I imagine if the star burst was going to wipe out the earth God'd probably be behind it  . He promised never to destroy the earth with water again. Didn't say anything about gamma rays. And trust me nobody steals God's thunder. It's pretty hard to steal from a God who is entirely sovereign.
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Posting Junkie
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: MacNN database error. Please refresh your browser.
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Ha! "God" and religion are responsible for more deaths throughout mankind's short history than all else put together.
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This is a computer-generated message and needs no signature.
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Senior User
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Deer Crossing, CT
Status:
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Originally Posted by Salty
Hmmm did we even know this was coming? What if something like this happened closer to us? That'd kinda of wipe out humanity in one fell swoop eh?
How would we know? I mean, the article talks about this event happening last December, but that's not really correct. The magnetar is 50,000 light years away from us so that means (according to Einstein) that this explosion happened roughly 50,000 years ago and we're just finding out about it now because we're so far away from the magnetar.
Put it this way, if the sun just poofed out of existence right now at this very instant, you wouldn't know about it for roughly 8-9 minutes because that's how long it takes light (or the lack of it) to reach us. 9 minutes from now you'd be like "Whoa, where'd the sun go?", when in fact the sun was long gone before you were able to notice.
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Dedicated MacNNer
Join Date: Jul 2005
Status:
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We are stardust anyway, so it doenst make a diff. Remember that matter can neither be destroyed nor be created it may however be transformed. It wouldnt matter anyhoo.
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Posting Junkie
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: MacNN database error. Please refresh your browser.
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Originally Posted by Fred_Cokebottle
Remember that matter can neither be destroyed nor created.
Anti-matter?
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Clinically Insane
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: 46 & 2
Status:
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Originally Posted by Randman
Ha! "God" and religion are responsible for more deaths throughout mankind's short history than all else put together.
No, sex is. Think it over.
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"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
- Thomas Paine
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Clinically Insane
Join Date: Dec 1999
Status:
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Originally Posted by Salty
And trust me nobody steals God's thunder.
Stay outta my science threads! 
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"…I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than
you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods,
you will understand why I dismiss yours." - Stephen F. Roberts
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Clinically Insane
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: 46 & 2
Status:
Offline
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Originally Posted by olePigeon
Stay outta my science threads!
You know the type of reaction this subject solicits. I half believe that you started it just to see the reaction. 
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"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
- Thomas Paine
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Clinically Insane
Join Date: Dec 1999
Status:
Offline
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Originally Posted by MacNStein
You know the type of reaction this subject solicits.
I was hoping for, "Ooo, that's cool." Then some people would post about other related scientific discoveries and other people would be going, "Ooo, that's cool." Hoping to spark peoples' interests in astronomy and cosmology.
Then you tards screw it up.
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"…I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than
you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods,
you will understand why I dismiss yours." - Stephen F. Roberts
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Mac Elite
Join Date: May 2000
Status:
Offline
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That was the Death Star blowing up over Yavin's Moon, we're just now being able to "see" the energy from our backwater planet.
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Clinically Insane
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: 46 & 2
Status:
Offline
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Originally Posted by olePigeon
I was hoping for, "Ooo, that's cool." Then some people would post about other related scientific discoveries and other people would be going, "Ooo, that's cool." Hoping to spark peoples' interests in astronomy and cosmology,
edit: Fine, whatever.
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"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
- Thomas Paine
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