Two days after Christmas 2004, NASA Observes a Giant Cosmic Explosion that was bigger and brighter than anything ever recorded. For a few milliseconds a burst of gamma radiation swept over earth, from a single eruption that released more energy than our Sun emitted over the last 150,000 years. The source was identified as Magnetar 1806-20 on the other side of the galaxy in an area where stars are born and die.
Dr. Paul LaViolette believes he understands why the massive Indonesian earthquake happened, and why 44.6 hours later, NASA witnessed a cosmic explosion of unprecedented force. His answer is that a neutron star about fifteen miles wide and forty five thousand light years away rippled the structure of space enough to shake and break mother earth. If its science fiction it is good story, but keep in mind that Galileo had some pretty weird ideas for his time.
"The center of the Galaxy is 25,000 light years away, but some researchers have argued that SGR 1806-20 lies well beyond that. Its true distance is uncertain. The region of the sky surrounding SGR 1806-20 is very crowded with galactic star-forming and star-dying activity, so it is not yet clear whether there exists a young supernova remnant associated with SGR 1806-20."The media paid almost no attention because the day before, December 26, 2004, an earthquake of historical intensity erupted off the coast of Malaysia and the resulting tsunami killed thousands upon thousands of people. Asking why something happened is a difficult question because cause and effect can not be known with complete certainty. At best we are left with our trust in the consistency of frequently repeated events, like sunrise follows sunset, and apples always fall down. The harder challenge is trying to understand why something rare and unusual happens. What causes a once in a lifetime event?
Dr. Paul LaViolette believes he understands why the massive Indonesian earthquake happened, and why 44.6 hours later, NASA witnessed a cosmic explosion of unprecedented force. His answer is that a neutron star about fifteen miles wide and forty five thousand light years away rippled the structure of space enough to shake and break mother earth. If its science fiction it is good story, but keep in mind that Galileo had some pretty weird ideas for his time.
