One of the discoveries for which BeppoSAX will be best remembered is solving the riddle of the gamma ray flashes. In the 70's these bursts of highly energetic radiation were measured for the first time but where they came from and what was causing them was unknown. "What BeppoSAX taught us is that these explosions come from far away � 5 to 10 billion light years, from the furthest reaches of our universe," says Professor Wijers. "They are the most powerful explosions that are known to date. They have to do with the death of very heavy stars."
Liesbeth de Bakker Radio Netherlands 19 May 2003
