Astronomers have spotted a powerful burst of gamma rays and light from the explosion of a giant star that took place when the universe was just 800 to 900 million years old. It is the most distant gamma-ray burst (GRB) ever seen and should help astronomers understand the early history of the universe.
The record burst is called GRB050904 and was seen by the SWIFT satellite on 4 September. It is not quite as distant as the farthest known galaxy or quasar, but observers have catalogued the distances of only 16 GRBs so far, compared to vast numbers of quasars and galaxies.
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