If people could look at the sky, about 2 million years ago, he would witness a fantastic spectacle – the incredible beauty of the death star. Scientists have long debated the topic of how close must be the supernova, to be able to have an impact on life on Earth. According to recent studies of physicists, at least in the above case of a supernova and would not have caused the mass extinction of all life on our planet, still available on her life it would “fun days”.
In the new study, the researchers decided to clarify the distance at which the supernova will continue to pose a threat to life on Earth. Previously it was thought that the risk zone is a radius of about 25 light years. However, according to new data, the mass extinction of any life can be neglected due to a supernova explosion within 50 light years.
In 2016, scientists announced the discovery of earth in the depths of the ocean, as well as in the lunar soil deposits of traces of the isotope iron-60, which confirms the assumption that a supernova lit up our sky in the interval between 3.2 and 1.7 million years ago. Approximate calculations show that the nearest supernova was about 100 parsecs or about 300 light years. At that distance on the sky, it would look as bright as our Moon. However, a later calculation of the distance to supernovae has reduced the distance by almost half, to 60 parsecs, or 195 light years.
In this regard, researcher Adrian Melott of the University of Kansas (USA) decided to find out what life on Earth could turn such a dangerous neighborhood.
“Data is approximate, therefore, to say definitely not possible, however, to write this work made us changed in previous studies the distance. It reduced almost by half the distance prompted us to appeal once more to the calculations,” — said Melott.
The birth of a supernova happens when a massive star runs out of fuel to maintain the thermonuclear reaction. As a result, the star collapses, and this event is accompanied by a powerful release of energy that creates a wave of radiation, ejected with great speed into interstellar space. Fortunately, space is huge. So our Solar system is rarely met with such a stellar cataclysms. Otherwise, this level of radiation and endless rain of highly charged radioactive particles would end all life on our planet.
The radius of the danger
Melott and his team of researchers analyzed how far from the supernova must be located our planet, its biosphere was still in the so-called “affected area”. And a new study, admittedly, is not very encouraging.
“The last great work in which it was told about the “kill zone” of a supernova, was published in 2003. Then the scientists came to the conclusion that the radius of danger is about 25 years,” says Melott.
“We believe that this distance is somewhat larger. In previous studies, was not taken into account several factors, so the numbers were not very accurate. Therefore, we think that the radius is approximately two times higher.”
Considering the growing impact of deadly radiation and, as a consequence, increasing the volume of the associated potential deaths of Melott and his colleagues came to the conclusion that more than likely indicators of the distance of the affected area will be from 40 to 50 light years.
Fortunately, despite the reduced distance to the nearest supernova that erupted around 2.6 million years ago, that was not enough to sterilize our planet or cause mass extinctions. About this told the scientists discovered the fossils. Colleagues Melotte excavated ancient African soil and found that the situation on the planet during a supernova was relatively safe. Findings did not show any compelling evidence of mass extinction.
“At the time no mass extinction of all life was not. However, the observed extinction of certain species and their modification,” says Melott.
What percentage of these deaths is associated with the changing climate, and what is due to the increase in the intensity of cosmic radiation is difficult to say.
So we have “at hand”, a little less than 200 light-years several million years ago a supernova exploded, which, fortunately, has not caused any total consequences for life on our planet. To better understand the mechanism and effects of an exploding star, the researchers reviewed the features according to which could spread it created a deadly wave of particles and radiation.
And it turns out, the consequences could be much more serious than we could ever imagine. Could happen anywhere, ranging from simple barrage of gamma rays and neutrons, bombarding the Earth at the speed of light – it all depends on how powerful it was at that time the magnetic field of our planet.
“Even if the Earth was the magnetic field, we do not know its direction, so it could either completely block these rays, or had the planet that is called just for show, and opened for them the road unimpeded to the surface,” says Melott.
Scientists have also put forward the assumption that howl supernova could have created an expanding “bubble” of force fields. With their expansion their impact could hit the Ground. As a result, in the magnetosphere of the Earth could happen real chaos.
Mass extinction is likely would not, but the sight was still impressive. Particle radiation would hit the atmosphere of the planet. All this was accompanied by the appearance of a dull day, but clearly visible night glow, which could theoretically affect the sleep cycles of some animals, leading day way of life.
Elementary particles could also penetrate further, up to the troposphere, and in some cases up to the surface of the planet, for living beings would be the equivalent of receiving a radiation dose equal to a pair of triple procedures computed tomography. Not too deadly, but a number of living beings might have as a result of malignant tumors in their bodies.
Finally, as you know, cascades of interactions of elementary particles is able to create the conditions under which start to generate lightning. This, in turn, could increase the number of storms and as a result the number of fires.
Currently, the work of scientists from the University of Kansas expects a critical review on the website arXiv.org and then will be published in the scientific journal Astrophysical Journal.
Our nearest star, which may soon become a supernova, is the red supergiant Betelgeuse, located about 650 light years from us. Do I need to inform people that it is time to dig underground bunkers?
“I’d better warn them that it is time to worry about the effects of global warming and the possibility of starting a thermonuclear war”, — summed up Melott.
Study: a supernova Explosion dangerous to all living things within a radius of 50 light years
Nikolai Khizhnyak