Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!americast-post Newsgroups: americast.twt.news From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: Scientists eye flare of supernova Date: Mon, 16 Nov 92 17:03:26 EST Message-ID: \SE A;NATION \SS (WS) \HD Scientists eye flare of supernova \BY ASSOCIATED PRESS \DT BERKELEY, Calif. BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) - Scientists have caught the flare of light from a supernova 5 billion light-years away, the most distant known example of a type of star that astronomers can use as a yardstick of the universe. Such type 1-A supernovas are believed to all give off about the same amount of light at their peak brightness. That means comparisons of how much of their light reaches Earth give an indication of their distance; the farther away they are, the dimmer their light is. Distance and the speed with which a distant star is moving away give clues to the universe's rate of expansion and whether it may eventually stop expanding and collapse. Scientists hope the latest discovery and future discoveries of others like it will help them predict the ultimate fate of the universe. The pulse of light was first detected on April 28 by the Isaac Newton Telescope at La Palma in the Canary Islands, American and British astronomers announced over the weekend. The light, detected by a sensitive electronic camera, faded after about a month, they said. "The distance of this supernova in light-years corresponds roughly to the age of the solar system," said Saul Perlmutter, a physicist at the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory. This article is copyright 1992 The Washington Times. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM