------ Original Message ------
Received: Mon, 15 Sep 2008 03:30:42 PM EDT
From: Lizard <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [johnmacsgroup] Hubble Finds Unidentified Object
Freaky.
===============
http://gizmodo.com/5049896/hubble-finds-unidentified-object-in-space
This is exactly why we send astronauts to risk their life to service
Hubble: in a paper published last week in the Astrophysical Journal,
scientists detail the discovery of a new unidentified object in the
middle of nowhere. I don't know about you, but when a research paper
conclusion says "We suggest that the transient may be one of a new
class" I get a chill of oooh-aaahness down my spine. Especially when
after a hundred days of observation, it disappeared from the sky with no
explanation. Get your tinfoil hats out, because it gets even weirder.
The object also appeared out of nowhere. It just wasn't there before. In
fact, they don't even know where it is exactly located because it didn't
behave like anything they know. Apparently, it can't be closer than 130
light-years but it can be as far as 11 billion light-years away. It's
not in any known galaxy either. And they have ruled out a supernova too.
It's something that they have never encountered before. In other words:
they don't have a single clue about where or what the heck this thing is.
The shape of the light curve is inconsistent with microlensing. In
addition to being inconsistent with all known supernova types, is not
matched to any spectrum in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey database.
The only thing the astronomers—working on the Supernova Cosmology
Project—can tell is that it appeared all of the sudden in the direction
of a cluster with the catchy name of CL 1432.5+3332.8, about 8.2 billion
light-years away. Hubble caught a spark that continued to brighten
during a 100-day period, peaking at the 21st magnitude, only to fade
away in the same period of time.
Apparently, a scientist at the LHC declared that the object is similar
to the flash that an Imperial Star Destroyer does when reaching Warp 10.
Either that or some dust on the Hubble lenses, so someone tell NASA to
get some Windex up there too. [Sky and Telescope]
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