Self destructing Supernova explosion may wipe out earth

I find the most disturbing part of this article to be the fact that, until recently, we did not even think that this was a binary system. Moreover, we thought it was a lot farther away. This only goes to show that we have, currently, such a limited understanding of the universe around us.

I am sure that there are cosmic things out there that science has yet to even learn about that pose greater threats to humanity than a GRB/Nova. Likewise, if we are just finding out about this one, there are probably a bunch of other possible "death stars" out there.

The fact is, if we knew the danger that we probably face on a daily basis from the billions of different giant hurtling death-bringers in the universe, we would probably be too afraid to get up in the morning. I guess a little bit of blissful ignorance is a good thing, eh?

And if ya gotta die in some cataclysm... getting nuked by an exploding star is certainly not the worst way to go.

My memory is a little fuzzy, but I recall scientists stating that their was a supernova before that was rather close by and could reach our planet in ( insert a large number, but small on astronomical terms ). I remember reading it here, but for the life of me I can't remember the details to well.

Well I just did a quick search and maybe what I was thinking of was Betelgeuse ( link here: www.abovetopsecret.com... )

Anyway not to derail this thread to much, it seems like that their are a lot of stars that we are missing at this point ( which is understandable considering how massive the universe is comparing the amount of stuff that we have surveyed and seem to have barely gotten farther than the tip ); but at this point I think this neck of the woods is starting to look pretty dangerous. Makes me think that in a few years we are going to get side-winded by a star that went supernovae in the past and is just now arriving. Either way the universe is a marvelous thing, but dangerous all the same.

Star and Flag~

Originally posted by krystalice

It is set to self-destruct in an explosion called a supernova with the force of 20 billion billion billion megatons of TNT. The blast from the thermonuclear explosion could strip away the Earth's ozone layer that keeps out deadly space radiation, scientists said.

[edit on 1/6/2010 by krystalice]

I am just going to nit pick this little section from you'r external quote. The blast will strip away the earths ozone layer that keeps out deadly radiation. Most main stream scientists would probably agree that that would be a good thing as it is the ozone layer that is causing global warming. Sorry but I wouldn't bother reading an article like this because the person writing it has not the slightest idea what they are writing about. ozone is actually one of the heaviest elements on the earth and mostly hang out around ground level. it is our magnetic field which protects us from these outside influences.

peace

daz

EXPLOSIVE MYSTERY: NASA is building a new space telescope named "NuSTAR" to answer a question that has been vexing astrophysicists for decades. Why won't the supernova explode?

Source: www.spaceweather.com

science.nasa.gov...

Originally posted by daz__

I am just going to nit pick this little section from you'r external quote. The blast will strip away the earths ozone layer that keeps out deadly radiation. Most main stream scientists would probably agree that that would be a good thing as it is the ozone layer that is causing global warming. Sorry but I wouldn't bother reading an article like this because the person writing it has not the slightest idea what they are writing about. ozone is actually one of the heaviest elements on the earth and mostly hang out around ground level. it is our magnetic field which protects us from these outside influences

Is this source incorrect then?

No, it may be a giant explosion but 3000 some light years is incredibly far. Mankinds fist ever signals have still just barely traveled a tiny fraction of that distance.

Originally posted by Divinorumus

Originally posted by krystalice
This has nothing to do with 2012.

Why not? If that star exploded 3258 years ago, it's affects would be arriving here just in time for the 2012 doom party, would it not?

You have to understand that 2012 is more of an event then just a year now. He's saying he doesn't believe that it is part of the "2012" hype, not that it is impossible to happen that year.

Originally posted by daz__
I am just going to nit pick this little section from you'r external quote. The blast will strip away the earths ozone layer that keeps out deadly radiation. Most main stream scientists would probably agree that that would be a good thing as it is the ozone layer that is causing global warming. Sorry but I wouldn't bother reading an article like this because the person writing it has not the slightest idea what they are writing about. ozone is actually one of the heaviest elements on the earth and mostly hang out around ground level. it is our magnetic field which protects us from these outside influences.

Incorrect.

The "stratospheric ozone layer" is what keeps most of the Sun's harmful UV radiation from giving us all skin cancer.

Link: www.nas.nasa.gov...

Excerpt from my link:

The ozone layer absorbs 97-99% of the sun's high frequency ultraviolet light, light which is potentially damaging to life on earth.

Well, there's sod all we can do about it. If we die from lack of an ozone layer, then so it is. We don't have the technology or brain power to prevent that yet, so, no need to panic and get distressed. If it happens tomorrow, best thing to do, is be calm, and wear loads of sun-screen.

The fact we jut found out this could happen scares me, cause how many OTHER of these things are out there that we don't know about. For as much as we know, there could be a huge supernova about to occur out somewhere we have yet to discover that could wipe out half the universe. We could die any minute from something we haven't even heard or seen of. Never know til it happens, lets just hope the things like this we do know about doesn't kill us.

Originally posted by ukmadmax
If it's 3260 light years away, and what we are "seeing " is that it hasn't exploded yet, won't it take at least 3260 years to affect us ?

If it exploded right now today, then we wouldn't know for 3260 years. However, if it exploded 3258 years ago, we will know in two years when it reaches us.

Hopefully it exploded today and not three thousand years ago.

I figured I would find this article mentioned on these forums...eventually.

It's completely false. 100% incorrect, the next time this system nova's it will not destroy the earth, the ozone or anything else on our planet.

This would be dangerous if it were a gamma ray burst, not a supernova or a nova. Don't worry, you'll be fine.

Doomed by science

reply to post by links234


Dang, I found that link and came running over here to post it, but you beat me to it. Oh well, star for you...

Originally posted by Divinorumus

Originally posted by ukmadmax
If it's 3260 light years away, and what we are "seeing " is that it hasn't exploded yet, won't it take at least 3260 years to affect us ?

Funny.

Listen, what if it blew up 3259 years ago? You wouldn't see or know that until next year. And, you do realize that once you see it, it's already here, with more affects on the way, right? What you see today is 3260 years ago. What happened at that star 3259 years ago will arrive HERE next year.

LIGHT YEARS. if there was one left that means that it would have to travel at the speed of light for a year....before it touched us.

or 5,878,630,000,000 miles
now consider it is over three thousands of these away...


[edit on 10-1-2010 by MR BOB]

ozone is actually one of the heaviest elements on the earth and mostly hang out around ground level. it is our magnetic field which protects us from these outside influences.

The element that you are referring to is called Osmium (the densest known element at 22.6 grams per cubic centimetre). This has nothing whatsoever to do with Ozone (O3), which is an allotrope (alternative form) of Oxygen. The ozone layer in Earth's upper atmosphere provides a certain amount of protection against the Sun's ultraviolet radiation.

Originally posted by MR BOB

Originally posted by Divinorumus
Listen, what if it blew up 3259 years ago? You wouldn't see or know that until next year. And, you do realize that once you see it, it's already here, with more affects on the way, right? What you see today is 3260 years ago. What happened at that star 3259 years ago will arrive HERE next year.

LIGHT YEARS. if there was one left that means that it would have to travel at the speed of light for a year....before it touched us.

or 5,878,630,000,000 miles
now consider it is over three thousands of these away...

Divinorumus' point is valid (and not dumb)...

If the star already blew up 3259 years ago, we would not even know that it did until next year -- when we see it blow up. If there was any harmful radiation associated with that supernova, it would reach us soon thereafter.

I'm not saying I'm worried about this, because a "normal" supernova 3260 light-years away should not adversely affect us. These scientists are talking about a worst-case scenario, which is unlikely.

However, the point is that we would not have 3260 years' warning -- there would be no event that would warn us until it is too late.

For example, there may have been a Gamma Ray Burst (GRB) from 100 light years away that occurred 99 years, 364 days, 23 hours, and 59 minutes ago, and we would have no idea that it happened -- until we see it one minute from now, then all die a few minutes later.


[edit on 1/11/2010 by Soylent Green Is People]

reply to post by ukmadmax


a little bit longer the blast will not travel at the speed of light a little bit slower though.

well odds are it blew up along time ago but light hasn't reached us yet could be here tomorrow next year or 3200 years from now you won't know till it gets here.