Astronomers had expected the signal to brighten as a shock generated by the burst moved through a cloud of dense gas. Although yet to be confirmed, the data suggest that the source of the signal was not the afterglow of the explosion but light from a galaxy itself. The results were presented Wednesday at the Gamma 2001 conference in Baltimore. Because of the galaxy's distance, and the amounts of dust and gas that veil it from the view of optical telescopes, astronomers might never have known the distant galaxy harbored such a nursery. The new discovery could help astronomers peering farther into the remote reaches of the universe in search of other star-forming regions.
Astronomers intend to revisit the locations of previous gamma-ray bursts.
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