April 7, 2011: NASA's Swift satellite, Hubble Space Telescope,
and Chandra X-ray Observatory have teamed up to study one of the
most puzzling cosmic blasts ever observed. More than a week
later, high-energy radiation continues to brighten and fade from
its location. Astronomers say they have never seen such a
bright, variable, high-energy, long-lasting burst before.
Usually, gamma-ray bursts mark the destruction of a massive
star, and flaring emission from these events never lasts more
than a few hours. On Monday, March 28, 2011, the Swift
satellite's Burst Alert Telescope discovered the source in the
constellation Draco when it erupted with the first in a series
of powerful blasts. Swift determined a position for the
explosion, which is now cataloged as gamma-ray burst (GRB)
110328A, and informed astronomers worldwide. As dozens of
telescopes turned to the spot, astronomers quickly noticed a
small, distant galaxy very near the Swift position. A deep
image, taken by Hubble on Monday, April 4, 2011, pinpointed