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Monday, November 23, 2009

Photo: Mystery of "Dark" Star Explosions Solved?


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The explosive death of a massive star creates a gamma ray burst deep inside a galaxy in an artist's conception.

The mystery of so-called dark gamma ray bursts (not pictured) has been solved, researchers announced in June 2009: The blasts' visible afterglows are absorbed by pockets of dust in otherwise dust-free galaxies.

Image courtesy Aurore Simonnet/Sonoma State University, NASA Education & Public Outreach