LEICESTER, England, Dec. 10 (UPI) -- British astronomers say a study suggests X-ray detectors in space could be the first to witness new supernovae, the signal of the death of massive stars.
Most supernovae are seen with ground-based optical telescopes about ten to twenty days after an initial high energy flash of gamma radiation but if a supernova could be detected more quickly by using a space-based X-ray early warning system, they said, astronomers could monitor the event as it happens and understand the process involved in one of the most violent events in the universe.