Swift, Fermi probe fireworks from a flaring gamma-ray star
Tuesday, February 10, 2009 - 13:07
in Astronomy & Space
Astronomers using NASA's Swift satellite and Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope are seeing frequent blasts from a stellar remnant 30,000 light-years away. The high-energy fireworks arise from a rare type of neutron star known as a soft-gamma-ray repeater. Such objects unpredictably send out a series of X-ray and gamma-ray flares.