That happened more than 1,400 years ago. The light reached Earth in 1901, and over the ensuing century we have watched the debris expand like fireworks.
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Fireworks From A Century-Old Nova
Nova GK Persei is a white dwarf star that threw an epic fit. It steals
material from its companion star, and this material piles up on its
surface, heated and hugely compressed. All at once it underwent
catastrophic nuclear fusion, detonating like a bomb, blasting countless
trillions of tons of matter outward at 1000 km/sec.
That happened more than 1,400 years ago. The light reached Earth in 1901, and over the ensuing century we have watched the debris expand like fireworks.
That happened more than 1,400 years ago. The light reached Earth in 1901, and over the ensuing century we have watched the debris expand like fireworks.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment