Super Flare Erupts from Crab Nebula ~ Universe on Edge of Event?

It appears that the Crab Nebula belched out a flare that was 5 times more powerful that anything seen before from there.

The famous Crab Nebula supernova remnant has erupted in an enormous flare five times more powerful than any flare previously seen from the object. On April 12, NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope first detected the outburst, which lasted six days. The nebula is the wreckage of an exploded star that emitted light which reached Earth in the year 1054. It is located 6,500 light-years away in the constellation Taurus. At the heart of an expanding gas cloud lies what is left of the original star’s core, a super-dense neutron star that spins 30 times a second. With each rotation, the star swings intense beams of radiation toward Earth, creating the pulsed emission characteristic of spinning neutron stars (also known as pulsars). Apart from these pulses, astrophysicists believed the Crab Nebula was a virtually constant source of high-energy radiation. But in January, scientists associated with several orbiting observatories, including NASA’s Fermi, Swift and Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer, reported long-term brightness changes at X-ray energies. Since 2009, Fermi and the Italian Space Agency’s AGILE satellite have detected several short-lived gamma-ray flares at energies greater than 100 million electron volts (eV) — hundreds of times higher than the nebula’s observed X-ray variations. For comparison, visible light has energies between 2 and 3 eV. On April 12, Fermi’s LAT, and later AGILE, detected a flare that grew about 30 times more energetic than the nebula’s normal gamma-ray output and about five times more powerful than previous outbursts. On April 16, an even brighter flare erupted, but within a couple of days, the unusual activity completely faded out. “These superflares are the most intense outbursts we’ve seen to date, and they are all extremely puzzling events,” said Alice Harding at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. “We think they are caused by sudden rearrangements of the magnetic field not far from the neutron star, but exactly where that’s happening remains a mystery.” Scientists think the flares occur as the intense magnetic field near the pulsar undergoes sudden restructuring. Such changes can accelerate particles like electrons to velocities near the speed of light. As these high-speed electrons interact with the magnetic field, they emit gamma rays.

Here is the Link

Suddenly, every constant we’ve known in the universe is now changing. The planets, Earth’s geological processes, the Sun’s rate of radioactive decay and the mechanics of stars. One can’t help but feel we are truly on the precipice of some momentous change that is sweeping through the universe. Everyday theres is less and less doubt that this is the time of the end-cycle foretold by prophets, wisemen and sages.

Source

This all seems to coincidental, There is so much going on that even naysayers are having a hard time arguing the fact that the earth is going through some pretty dramatic changes as we speak. I think that the author is correct in wondering if there is something going on here of biblical proportions. The universe is changing and so is earth, now the question is, how much change should we expect?

reply to post by princeguy

Change is the nature of Earth and the Universe and always has been. The "constants" aren't changing. Our understanding of the Earth and Universe are. We have more and better tools to collect and process information. We are able to observe and measure things we were not able to before. Christians like to believe that more is happening now because to them it heralds the endtime. It isn't and it doesn't.


The rate of the Sun's radioactive decay is changing? Where did he get that from?

The universe is now at a different age than it has ever been before, and I imagine that like humans, the universe changes with age.

reply to post by Phage


I dont think this has anything to do with "Christians." And yes, our universe does change, the fact is that this is change that has never been seen or recorded, we have no idea what this could do to us or our neighboring planets.

Originally posted by Phage
reply to post by princeguy

 

The rate of the Sun's radioactive decay is changing? Where did he get that from?

edit on 5/12/2011 by Phage because: (no reason given)

HERE

I wonder if maybe this is a cycle the galaxy goes through every billion years or so. As a civilization, we have not been around long, [This time] and really don't know what is normal. There are extinctions throughout the history of this planet. It is thought to have happened 5 or 6 times. Everything is reset to zero. The bacteria that survive have to start over and work back up to where we are now. I think one of our highest priorities should be to get off this planet and colonize. We have all our eggs in one basket and that basket is very fragile.

reply to post by DAVID64


I agree!

reply to post by princeguy


Amazing data found. S&F for the updates in this lil universal containment. Crab NebulaAndramada

reply to post by princeguy


Good one.

He´ll probably say that it wasn´t peer reviewed or something.

reply to post by princeguy


I'm no astrophysicist but doesn't 6,500 LY equate to 6,500 years ago? Yeah I'll tell john Titor to let the Egyptians know when he's goes back to recover the secret of the pyramids so.

Originally posted by Phage
reply to post by princeguy

 

Change is the nature of Earth and the Universe and always has been. The "constants" aren't changing. Our understanding of the Earth and Universe are. We have more and better tools to collect and process information. We are able to observe and measure things we were not able to before. Christians like to believe that more is happening now because to them it heralds the endtime. It isn't and it doesn't.


The rate of the Sun's radioactive decay is changing? Where did he get that from?

edit on 5/12/2011 by Phage because: (no reason given)

Jeah, I can see one constant that will never change....

Whatever it may be, I think it is natures way of weeding out the weak. Nature always tries to keep a natural balance with things, but humans tend to screw that up or circumvent it in one way or another. So nature takes care of these issues on a scale that there is no possibility that anyone could manipulate. Just one of my theories.

reply to post by Imhotepsol


You don't make any sense....

This is very interesting, yet scary at the same time. Most likely it will mean nothing, but wonder if this is the lightshow before the end? Something to ponder.

reply to post by UrgentInsurgent

reply to post by princeguy

You're right, not necessarily Christians. Just religion in general.

Of course the fact that we have only been making these observations for a couple of years has nothing do to with the fact that we have never seen or recorded this "change". Obviously it is something completely new, something that has never ever happened before. Ya think?

The gamma ray bursts they are talking about did nothing to us or our neighboring planets. They were not even particularly strong bursts when compared to others. Gamma ray bursts in excess of 1 billion eV have been observed. Those make the 100 million eV put out by the Crab Nebula look like a burp.


The article you linked does not say the rate of the Sun's radioactive decay is changing. It says that the Sun might be affecting the rate of radioactive decay of some elements on Earth. Please show me where this is thought to be a "new" phenomenon. Something that indicates the end time approaches.

Originally posted by DAVID64
I think one of our highest priorities should be to get off this planet and colonize. We have all our eggs in one basket and that basket is very fragile.

No one could have said it better...

Originally posted by cloud333

Originally posted by DAVID64
I think one of our highest priorities should be to get off this planet and colonize. We have all our eggs in one basket and that basket is very fragile.

No one could have said it better...

But the lil universe may be a big basket full of lots of eggs and = fragil. Just a thought.

Originally posted by Phage
reply to post by princeguy

 

You're right, not necessarily Christians. Just religion in general.

Of course the fact that we have only been making these observations for a couple of years has nothing do to with the fact that we have never seen or recorded this "change". Obviously it is something completely new, something that has never ever happened before. Ya think?

The gamma ray bursts they are talking about did nothing to us or our neighboring planets. They were not even particularly strong bursts when compared to others. Gamma ray bursts in excess of 1 billion eV have been observed. Those make the 100 million eV put out by the Crab Nebula look like a burp.


The article you linked does not say the rate of the Sun's radioactive decay is changing. It says that the Sun might be affecting the rate of radioactive decay of some elements on Earth. Please show me where this is thought to be a "new" phenomenon. Something that indicates the end time approaches.

I never said that this was the signal of "End Times" But this is an event that is out of the ordinary, granted, Something like this may have happened before but most likely it has not been in our time. One big Flare from the Crab Nebula is not an occasion to buy a bobm shelter, what I am concerned with is the collection of events that seem to be unfolding.

Here is more info on the rate of decay,
Link
Link