Scientists with NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope have named a star constellation afterGodzilla. The constellation was found from sources in the gamma-ray sky, which is invisible to the human eye. The King of Monsters constellation was named to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the powerful Fermi telescope. In addition toGodzilla, Albert Einstein, Marvel’sThe Hulk, and the TARDIS fromDoctor Whowere also given unofficial constellations to celebrate. However, theGodzillaconstellation is the biggest and the name was chosen because the constellation’s stars often emit insane gamma-ray bursts similar to the atomic breath of the iconic monster.
Godzillais a world-wide phenomenon, and now the King of Monsters is gaining popularity out in the universe.Godzillais the perfect name for such a massive and powerful constellation that came to be after a huge explosion of gamma-rays. A NASA statement explained specifically how theGodzillaconstellation came to be. The statement reads.
“Gamma-ray jets also occur in other types of astrophysical systems. When a massive star runs out of fuel and collapses under its own weight, or when two orbiting neutron stars spiral together and merge, a new black hole - and high-speed jets - may form. The result is a gamma-ray burst, the most powerful explosion in the cosmos. Thesemonstrous blasts, which occur somewhere in the distant universe every day or so according to observations by Fermi’s Gamma-ray Burst Monitor, would make evenGodzillaenvious.”
The Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope was first brought into use in 2008 as a way for scientists to perform gamma-ray astronomy observations from low Earth orbit. The gamma-ray mission is a joint venture ofNASA, the United States Department of Energy, and government agencies in France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Sweden. It has since become the most sensitive gamma-ray telescope currently in use. Fermi project scientist Julie McEnery says, “Developing these unofficial constellations was a fun way to highlight a decade of Fermi’s accomplishments.”
Godzillais one of themost famous monsters in the worldand is one of the most recognizable symbols of Japanese popular culture. Nuclear weapons testing is what wakes the prehistoric beast from his slumber, causingGodzillato wreak havoc on Japan. NASA reveals that most of the gamma-ray sources visible in theGodzillaconstellation are actually AGN, as are more than half the gamma-ray “stars” Fermi has cataloged in the last ten years, which means that it’s huge.
Godzilla: King of the Monstersis set to hit theaters on May 31st, 2019, giving the world more of the iconic monster. However, it’s pretty hard to top NASA recognizing theprehistoric legendwith its own star constellation. It just goes to show thatGodzilla’s popularity hasn’t diminished at all since 1954 when the monster was first introduced. You can read more about theGodzillaFermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope constellation over at theFermiwebsite.
