They are so bright, they are a billion billion times more luminous than the sun. They are so distant, their light takes billions of years just to reach earth. They are so elusive, the world's top astronomers spent 30 years tracking down their source. These amazingly violent explosions-or death stars-may even have the power to eradicate life in an entire galaxy. First detected in 1967, intense outer-space gamma ray bursts stumped astronomers for nearly three decades before an international alliance finally unlocked their secrets. Join NOVA and venture into deep space to explore some of the most energetic events ever glimpsed. See how these celestial phenomena can teach us about the dawn of the universe. And hear a controversial theory of how a gamma ray burst somewhere in our own galaxy could destroy life on earth.

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Documentary