A Rare, Repeatedly Exploding Star Has Been Caught Producing Powerful Gamma Rays

A rare star that repeatedly explodes appears to be also generating the most energetic form of light in the Universe. Analysis of an eruption from the binary system RS Ophiuchi has revealed that the shock wave expanding out into space acts as a particle accelerator that generates gamma radiation. This suggests the conditions that generate … Read more

Omicron cases are exploding. Scientists still don’t know how bad the wave will be | Science

As this year begins, the Omicron variant is smashing COVID-19 infection records across Europe, North America, Africa, and Australia. With massive numbers of people infected or in quarantine, tens of thousands of flights and trains have been canceled, and work and schools disrupted. Earlier in the pandemic, the frightful, near-vertical rise in cases would have … Read more

Exploding meteor ‘booms’ over Pennsylvania on New Year’s Day

Observations from GOES-16 shows a flash that was later determined came from an exploding meteor on Jan. 1, 2022. (Image credit: Twitter/NWSPittsburgh) A meteor hurtling through Earth’s atmosphere exploded over Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on New Year’s Day (Jan. 1). Just before 11:30 a.m. EST (1630 GMT) on Jan. 1, people in Pittsburgh heard what sounded like … Read more

Did scientists solve the mystery of the super-bright exploding ‘cow’ in space?

An artistic visualization of AT2018cow. (Image credit: National Astronomical Observatory of Japan) Science studying a mysterious star explosion known as “the Cow” think the blast could have created a black hole or neutron star. In 2018, scientists spotted the super-bright stellar explosion known as AT2018co, and nicknamed “the Cow”, in a galaxy called CGCG 137-068 … Read more