BBC - Huge 'star-quake' rocks Milky Way

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4278005.stm

Astronomers say they have been stunned by the amount of energy released
in a star explosion on the far side of our galaxy, 50,000 light-years
away.

The flash of radiation on 27 December was so powerful that it bounced
off the Moon and lit up the Earth's atmosphere.

The blast occurred on the surface of an exotic kind of star - a
super-magnetic neutron star called SGR 1806-20.

If the explosion had been within just 10 light-years, Earth could have
suffered a mass extinction, it is said.

Further from link above...
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I suppose the logical question to ask is - can we see it in the visual
range? If it's as powerful as they say it is, then surely the afterglow
would have some visual component - anyone got a link to it's actual
location?


On Sat, 19 Feb 2005 18:16:34 +0000, Nick wrote:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4278005.stm

Astronomers say they have been stunned by the amount of energy released
in a star explosion on the far side of our galaxy, 50,000 light-years
away.

The flash of radiation on 27 December was so powerful that it bounced
off the Moon and lit up the Earth's atmosphere.

The blast occurred on the surface of an exotic kind of star - a
super-magnetic neutron star called SGR 1806-20.

If the explosion had been within just 10 light-years, Earth could have
suffered a mass extinction, it is said.

Further from link above...

In message opsmgrx3a5l8l75z@gibson, Jonathan Bell
writes


On Sat, 19 Feb 2005 18:16:34 +0000, Nick wrote:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4278005.stm

Astronomers say they have been stunned by the amount of energy released
in a star explosion on the far side of our galaxy, 50,000 light-years
away.

The flash of radiation on 27 December was so powerful that it bounced
off the Moon and lit up the Earth's atmosphere.

The blast occurred on the surface of an exotic kind of star - a
super-magnetic neutron star called SGR 1806-20.

I suppose the logical question to ask is - can we see it in the visual
range? If it's as powerful as they say it is, then surely the afterglow
would have some visual component - anyone got a link to it's actual
location?

Well, 1806-20 is the rough position (18 hours 6 minutes, -20 degrees).
There are thousands of Google hits - it's obviously aroused a lot of
interest.
And yes, it has been "seen". But it's in Sagittarius, and it was imaged
by the SOHO spacecraft, because it's behind the sun
http://www.aavso.org/observing/programs/lascosgr.shtml.
I also found a link describing how you can "look" for these things
yourself! http://www.infiltec.com/SID-GRB@home/
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Nick wrote:

50,000 light-years away...
If the explosion had been within just 10 light-years...

Phew we dodged a bullet there