NEW CLASS OF OBJECT LIGHTS UP MILKY WAY

Astronomers using NASA's Compton Gamma Ray Observitory have discovered an apparent new class of object located towards the center of our home Galaxy, the Milky Way in the southern sky. This object was discovered back in December of 1995 through the use of the Burst and Transient Source Experiment onboard the Gamma Ray Observitory. This new object was producing as much as 140 powerful gamma-ray bursts at the time of its discovery. Since December, the object appears to have settled down to a rate of at least 20 bursts.The object has also emitted an astounding 1000 bursts of X-ray radiation. The object is currently the brightest X-ray and gamma ray source in the sky. "The properties of the X-ray source are unlike those of any we know," observes Dr. Kouveliotou, one of the scientists involved, " The burst repetition rate makes this phenominon is very different from the gamma ray bursts that we have observed a thousand times throughout the universe." Kouveliotou also observes that the long duration and persistance of those radiation steams make the object much different than the so called Soft Gamma Repeaters, which, according to Kouveliotou, "Have been observed as emitting short isolated burst episodes separated by years." "We've seen some sources that play the drums, some that crash cymbals, a few that play the trumpet, but this source is a one man band." Says Astrophysisist Freb Lamb of the University of Illonis at Urbana Champaign, in refering to the objects ability to emit both gamma and X-ray bursts. Full details of this discovery should be found in the latest issue of the scientific journal "Nature."