"When beggars die, there are no comets seen; The heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes."
— William Shakespeare Julius Cæsar
I was busy in Michigan this week...didn't notice the big glow in the sky LOL...
But here's a several billion year old gamma burst that occured well before the Earth existed!
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/21mar_nakedeye.htm?list880574
Astrophotography equipment