Was the Recent Intergalactic Explosion Evidence of Alien Technology?

AI Thread Summary
The discussion revolves around a NASA article detailing a surprising gamma-ray burst (GRB) detected by the Swift satellite, which exhibited no signs of a host galaxy or dense gas and dust typically associated with such explosions. This GRB, occurring over 9.4 billion years ago, has left astronomers puzzled due to its unique characteristics, including a lack of absorption lines in its spectrum. Participants speculate on the implications of this finding, with some suggesting it could indicate ancient alien activity or the result of a neutron star collision. They also discuss the potential for dust clouds to obscure weaker emissions while allowing stronger bursts to be detected. The conversation highlights the ongoing intrigue and mystery surrounding cosmic events and the quest for understanding their origins.
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Wow, that new Guru banner sure looks nice Wolram!
 
Yeah, it kinda makes me jealous that all I have is this lame-o Admin logo. At least until I realize I can vaporize you all if I want. Muhaha. Ha.

edit: and the article is pretty cool, too[/size]

- Warren
 
Evo said:
Wow, that new Guru banner sure looks nice Wolram!

Hey when did that pop up?
 
wolram said:
Hey when did that pop up?
While you were looking up.
 
Oh Wolly, that's just fantastic! You wear it so well:redface:
 
hypatia said:
Oh Wolly, that's just fantastic! You wear it so well:redface:

It is nice, but some times i am being serious and people think i am being funny, and vice versa, like this new evidence for ancient space exploration by inteligent aliens, i think i am the first to interpret this information.
 
Great some one has run off with the speakers to this PC, i will have wait till i get home.
 
  • #10
OK----What caused that explosion?-------any ideas from the parsec's gallery?
 
  • #11
hypatia said:
Oh Wolly, that's just fantastic! You wear it so well:redface:

It looks like the avatar is your kill and the banner your trophy.
 
  • #12
rewebster said:
OK----What caused that explosion?-------any ideas from the parsec's gallery?

From the NASA page
What came next was a total surprise. Contrary to experience with more than a hundred previous GRBs, Gemini spectra revealed no signs of dense gas and dust absorbing the light of the afterglow. A trace of magnesium revealed that the burst took place more than 9.4 billion years ago, as deduced by the shift in wavelength of the afterglow’s light, and that the surrounding gas and dust was more tenuous than the environment around any previous burst.

. . . .

"Many Swift discoveries have left astronomers scratching their heads in befuddlement," adds Swift lead scientist Neil Gehrels of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. "But this discovery of a long GRB with no host galaxy is one of the most perplexing of all."
 
  • #14
Math Jeans said:
It looks like the avatar is your kill and the banner your trophy.

I am thinking about making a transfer of the avatar and puting it on one of my bikes,
should look cool.
 
  • #15
Is it possible that there could simply be dust clouds in the way which would prevent weaker emissions from reaching us, yet allow the emissions from a massive GRB explosion right on through?
 
  • #16
B. Elliott said:
Is it possible that there could simply be dust clouds in the way which would prevent weaker emissions from reaching us, yet allow the emissions from a massive GRB explosion right on through?

What came next was a total surprise. Contrary to experience with more than a hundred previous GRBs, Gemini spectra revealed no signs of dense gas and dust absorbing the light of the afterglow. A trace of magnesium revealed that the burst took place more than 9.4 billion years ago, as deduced by the shift in wavelength of the afterglow’s light, and that the surrounding gas and dust was more tenuous than the environment around any previous burst.
Absorbtion lines (or rather, lack of) have evidently ruled that out.
 
  • #17
Danger said:
Absorbtion lines (or rather, lack of) have evidently ruled that out.

Thanks Danger. I must have been distracted when reading that part. Since they mentioned detecting magnesium and the fact that there was nothing there before (at least not previously detected) how about a neutron star collision?
 
  • #18
Just found this after doing a little research. The only problem being that this was a long duration one...

Before such a merger, these stars are thought to lead a tumultuous life together, with each in turn exploding as a supernova to become a neutron star. The explosions can kick the pair out of their home galaxy. So in the billions of years it takes the neutron stars to merge, the theory predicts they will lie far away from any galaxy, in empty space.
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn7364
 
  • #19
Interesting link, B. I hadn't heard about that.

So in the billions of years it takes the neutron stars to merge...
That surprised me. Given the gravitational forces involved, I figured that a couple of neutron stars would merge in a matter of seconds.
 
  • #20
Danger said:
Interesting link, B. I hadn't heard about that.


That surprised me. Given the gravitational forces involved, I figured that a couple of neutron stars would merge in a matter of seconds.

I thought the same thing till i read that article. Is there any other way for us to detect old neutron stars other than microlensing?
 
  • #21
I'm ashamed to admit that I can't remember what 'micro-lensing' means; I haven't really read that much about such things in several years.
Neutron stars can be discerned by their gravitational effects upon neighbouring bodies (useless in this case, as there are none), but I don't know that one can differentiate between one of them and a black hole by that method. If it is properly aligned, then you can detect the 'pulsar' signal. Your best bet here is to wait for Space Tiger to weigh in.
 
  • #22
The greatest minds on the planet are here on the forum-----someone should be able to figure this out!
 
  • #23
rewebster said:
The greatest minds on the planet are here on the forum
Well, count me out of that crowd; I'm just a curious fellow who stumbled into a mindfield. I agree, though, that nothing is beyond the combined intellect of PF.
 
  • #24
I'd like to know what the spectral lines are closest to that we know---just how different, besides being in an 'open area' of space, what other qualities did it exhibit?
 

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