The Cataclysmic Death of Stars
a decade ago: Many gamma-ray bursts are the early warning signals from supernovas, emitted
minutes before the explosion.
The link offers a glimpse of events leading up to the actual explosion--another mystery. There,
too, researchers have made headway. Looking not at the heavens but at computer models of
supernovas, some think they have figured out what may trigger the final cataclysm. The missing
element may be unimaginably powerful reverberations--the sound of a star singing its own swan
song.
For astronomers, there's usually no rush to study something before it vanishes. "The universe
usually evolves as slowly as watching paint dry," says one. But these days, hundreds of
astronomers keep cell phones and beepers close by so they can rush to work like doctors on call.
They're waiting for word from a spacecraft called Swift.
Swift, launched in 2004, scans the skies for gamma rays. When it detects a burst, it swivels its
annaabi.ee 
