Explosion

Scientists are studying a strange burst--possibly a gamma ray explosion--discovered this month by NASA; the burst is believed to have occurred 440 million light-years away near Aries constellation. The "before" image on the left is from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. The "after" image on the right is from NASA Swift ultraviolet/optical telescope. The pinpoint of light from this star explosion outshines the entire host galaxy.

February 24, 2006 5:35 AM PST

Photo by: SDSS (left), NASA/Swift/UVOT