SPACE PHOTOS THIS WEEK: Dark Matter, Gamma Ray Burst

SPACE PHOTOS THIS WEEK: Dark Matter, Gamma-ray Burst
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September 10, 2008--A recent big bang--which was aimed directly at Earth--lights up the skies in an artist's conception.

A powerful stellar explosion on March 19 created a massive gamma ray burst seen worldwide by satellites, observatories, and the naked eye.

The unusual blast propelled material from a doomed star in the constellation Bovtes directly toward our planet in a two-component jet represented by white and green beams.
—Image by NASA/Swift/Mary Pat Hrybyk-Keith and John Jones
 

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