OCT 20, 2008 - Gamma-ray Bursts are among the most mysterious cosmic events known to date - and arguably the most powerful since the Big Bang. NASA is having a conference this week, so that astrophysicists can put their heads together to try and unravel the as-yet unfathomable mystery of these master blasters. The Sixth Annual Gamma-ray Burst Symposium convenes this week (OCT 20-24) in Huntsville AL, to address such puzzles as the connection between gamma-ray bursts and black holes (the former seem to herald the latter), the difference between short and long gamma-ray bursts, and why these monster blasts seem to be more common in some types of galaxies than others. Who cares? We could all have some skin in the game - highly irradiated skin - the next time a gamma-ray burst pops off in our own Milky Way galaxy.
