Swift satellite catches first 'normal' supernova in the act of exploding
Wednesday, May 21, 2008 - 12:35
in Astronomy & Space
Thanks to a fortunate observation with NASA's Swift satellite, astronomers, for the first time, have caught a normal supernova at the moment of its birth--the first instant when an exploding star begins spewing its energy into space, transforming into a supernova that during its brief lifetime will shine brighter than billions of stars combined.