BY DR EMILY BALDWIN
ASTRONOMY NOW
Posted: May 1, 2008
Using observations from NASA’s Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE), an international team of astronomers has discovered a timing mechanism that allows them to predict exactly when a neutron star will unleash its wrath on the Universe.
The powerful explosions occur in the collapsed remnants of massive stars - neutron stars - that have already exploded in a supernova. Hydrogen and helium gas from a companion star spirals onto the neutron star, slowly accumulating on its surface until it heats up to a critical temperature, sparking uncontrollable fusion into heavier elements and igniting a thermonuclear flame that rapidly engulfs the entire star. A bright flash of X-rays emanates from the explosion, releasing more energy in a 10 to 100 second burst than our Sun radiates in an entire week. The bursts can even occur from the same neutron star several times in one day.
full story at http://www.astronomynow.com/Stellartimebombmakesscheduledexplosion.html
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