"Professor Goddard does not know the relation between action and reaction and the need to have something better than a vacuum against which to react. He seems to lack the basic knowledge ladled out daily in high schools."
--1921 New York Times editorial about Robert Goddard's revolutionary rocket work.

"Correction: It is now definitely established that a rocket can function in a vacuum. The 'Times' regrets the error."
NY Times, July 1969.

— New York Times

Darn I missed it!

By myamiphil at Fri, 03/21/2008 - 11:37pm

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

 

 

 

Brief

Submitted by Kevin
on Tue, 03/25/2008 - 11:07pm

It would've been cool to see - but as the website mentions it only rached 5.8 magnitude and lasted only a few miuntes. So we didn't miss much...

Gamma Ray Burst

Submitted by kuky
on Mon, 03/24/2008 - 10:19pm

Wow
 

It vanished long ago,

but only now her lonely glow

to our sight came through

The icon of the star that died 

It was when to our sight denied

Now what we see is ended

--from "To The Star" by M Eminescu, 1886!