# The biggest galactic flash ever **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 19, 2005, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-galactic-flash-ever/290837 "2005-02-19T02:34:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2005, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-galactic-flash-ever/290837/1 "2005-02-19T02:34:26Z")
[I sense a great disturbance in the Force, Luke](http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/bright_flash_050218.html). Correct me if I’m wrong, but if this happened 50,000 light years away, doesn’t that mean the explosion happened 50,000 years ago? And we’re just now picking up the blast? It was so powerful it “briefly disturbed Earth’s atmosphere!” I cannot _wait_ until we can get out there. Can’t someone invent warp speed already? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2005, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-galactic-flash-ever/290837/2 "2005-02-19T02:37:59Z")
Magnetar? Wasn’t that an 80s videogame? ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2005, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-galactic-flash-ever/290837/3 "2005-02-19T02:46:12Z")
I read the title of the thread and now my brain has the image of Galactus with a trench coat… :smack: ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2005, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-galactic-flash-ever/290837/4 "2005-02-19T02:48:31Z")
Oh, you guys are hopeless. :smack: It’s the biggest explosion in space that we’ve ever recorded! What was orbiting that star? It may have been a class M planet! Maybe with a civilization? Or maybe the explosion wiped out a nearby star system! Are you enthralled, excited, scared, itching to join Star Fleet? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2005, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-galactic-flash-ever/290837/5 "2005-02-19T02:53:16Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > Are you enthralled, excited, scared, itching to join Star Fleet? As long as nobody tries to reverse my polarity, sure! Seriously, this would be a great time to be a Q. Just pop into the neighborhood and check it out in person. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2005, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-galactic-flash-ever/290837/6 "2005-02-19T02:59:26Z")
Huh. If you were Q you probably caused it. ---
**Author:** ![Tentacle\_Monster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba9def/32.png) [@Tentacle\_Monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tentacle_Monster)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2005, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-galactic-flash-ever/290837/7 "2005-02-19T03:23:15Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > I read the title of the thread and now my brain has the image of Galactus with a trench coat… [You asked for it.](http://www.majordamage.org/heroes.swf) Note: Flash animation, with sound. Does indeed feature Galactus in a trenchcoat. Also features Cpt. America as Dante and Daredevil as Randal. ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2005, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-galactic-flash-ever/290837/8 "2005-02-19T03:48:50Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > Oh, you guys are hopeless. :smack: > > It’s the biggest explosion in space that we’ve ever recorded! What was orbiting that star? It may have been a class M planet! Maybe with a civilization? Or maybe the explosion wiped out a nearby star system! > > Are you enthralled, excited, scared, itching to join Star Fleet? I’m sure its a Class Y planet now. God, I’m such a nerd. ---
**Author:** ![umop\_ap\_sdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/dbc845/32.png) [@umop\_ap\_sdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/umop_ap_sdn)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2005, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-galactic-flash-ever/290837/9 "2005-02-19T09:08:26Z")
> [@CynicalGabe](#): > > I’m sure its a Class Y planet now. > > God, I’m such a nerd. Yup, demon class. Nope, you’re not the only one. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2005, 9:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-galactic-flash-ever/290837/10 "2005-02-19T09:36:49Z")
> [@CynicalGabe](#): > > I’m sure its a Class Y planet now. I’d say [Class B. Maybe even Class E.](http://www.ccdump.org/planetclass.html) Actually, it’s probably _several_ planets now, minus whatever mass ended up becoming part of the gamma radiation that bounced off the moon. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2005, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-galactic-flash-ever/290837/11 "2005-02-19T19:19:37Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > Oh, you guys are hopeless. :smack: > > It’s the biggest explosion in space that we’ve ever recorded! What was orbiting that star? It may have been a class M planet! Maybe with a civilization? Or maybe the explosion wiped out a nearby star system! > > Are you enthralled, excited, scared, itching to join Star Fleet? The peaceful Class M planet was no doubt vaporized back during the supernova when the magnetar went from regular star to (magnetar) neutron star. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2005, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-galactic-flash-ever/290837/12 "2005-02-19T22:34:31Z")
> [@Tentacle Monster](#): > > [You asked for it.](http://www.majordamage.org/heroes.swf) > > Note: Flash animation, with sound. Does indeed feature Galactus in a trenchcoat. Also features Cpt. America as Dante and Daredevil as Randal. That was _awesome!_ ---
**Author:** ![LeeshaJoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e8cbc/32.png) [@LeeshaJoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LeeshaJoy)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2005, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-galactic-flash-ever/290837/13 "2005-02-19T22:51:28Z")
I’m guessing that was either a.) the Death Star blowing up, or b.) the Death Star blowing something else up. ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2005, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-galactic-flash-ever/290837/14 "2005-02-20T00:18:38Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > Are you enthralled, excited, scared, itching to join Star Fleet? As long as I don’t have to wear a red shirt, and then go down to a planet’s surface in my role as unknown peon. Man. That’s a death sentence for sure. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2005, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-galactic-flash-ever/290837/15 "2005-02-20T15:21:30Z")
Had to share [rhis](http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20050220) Explains it all. ---
**Author:** ![umop\_ap\_sdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/dbc845/32.png) [@umop\_ap\_sdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/umop_ap_sdn)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2005, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-galactic-flash-ever/290837/16 "2005-02-20T18:10:29Z")
Lousy Vogons, always hitting us with their gamma rays as intense as the light from the full moon. ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-galactic-flash-ever/290837/17 "2005-02-21T17:59:22Z")
Has anyone any idea quite how devistating that was? If we ‘felt’ it at 50,000 ly then what did it do to planets within 500 ly of the star, as it would have been 10,000 times as powerful at that range. At what sort of range would that event wipe out lpotential ife on a planet? ---
**Author:** ![Podkayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-galactic-flash-ever/290837/18 "2005-02-21T19:22:57Z")
> [@Bippy the Beardless](#): > > At what sort of range would that event wipe out lpotential ife on a planet? The figure I heard quoted was 10 ly. Lucky for us, there are no magnetars in the neighborhood. Interestingly enough, if you put a magnetar where the Moon is now? Yeah, your body would be disrupted by the magnetic fields. Mmm hmmm. ---
**Author:** ![Sevo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sevo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sevo)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-galactic-flash-ever/290837/19 "2005-02-21T20:05:33Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > Are you enthralled, excited, scared, itching to join Star Fleet? I’m reading _A Fire in the Deep_ right now and it’s giving me the same feeling. I have a hard time with how small we are down here and how stuck on our planet–and yet we quibble over religion and land and you-name-it. I’m with you Ivylass…I would love to be _out there_. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-galactic-flash-ever/290837/20 "2005-02-22T00:35:34Z")
> [@Sevo](#): > > I’m with you Ivylass…I would love to be _out there_. If there’s anything to this reincarnation thing, I am _so_ coming back when we have established space travel and joining Star Fleet.