Re: Distant Gamma Ray Burster Nailed

Hara Ra (harara@shamanics.com)
Fri, 13 Jun 1997 02:29:03 -0700


Hal Finney wrote:
> > Is it possible that something collects a spread-out
> > effect into a short pulse, some sort of shock-wave maybe?
> > If the medium were "charged" somehow, maybe it could even
> > amplify the original source?
>
> >From what I remember of my astronomy course, it is a general principle that
> an object which varies over a time scale t can't be much larger than t*c
> in size. Or, putting it the other way, an object which is t*c in size can't
> be seen to vary strongly with time scales much less than t.
>
There is one exception which isn't likely in the case of gamma bursters.
If the source object is behind a massive object, ie, at the focus of a
gravitational lens, the image of the object may be much larger than t*c
in the sky. t*c still applies to the original object though.

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| Hara Ra <harara@shamanics.com> |
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