Gamma-ray bursts, the spectacular celestial explosions seen in NOVA's "Death
Star," are just one of myriad marvels in outer space. In this feature, learn
the difference between pulsars and quasars, antimatter and dark matter, brown
dwarfs and white dwarfs, and many other extraterrestrial wonders.
Flash is a plug-in that allows for increased interactivity. If you can see
the animated boxes at left, the plugin is already installed. If you do not see
the boxes, you can install the Flash plugin, or select this feature's
non-Flash version.
Glossary excerpted with permission from Cosmic Horizons: Astronomy at the
Cutting Edge, edited by Steven Soter and Neil deGrasse Tyson, New York: The
New Press, 2001. Definition of gamma-ray burst courtesy of Dr. Jerry Bonnell,
Goddard Space Flight Center.
