Cosmic Barrel-Gamma-Ray Bursts May Be Directed at Us
Gamma Rays
The binary star system Wolf-Rayet 104, taken in close infrared from the Keck telescope
We've already developed many conspiracy theories and possible end-of-the-world ideas. A meteorite impact, the sun becoming a red giant and engulfing the Earth, etc. But this new idea (it's always been around, but this is the first time it's been brought up this far) is far more intriguing. Gamma Radiation Ray. Let's call it a cosmic gun, for short.
The WR 104 system, 8,000 light-years away, is a binary star system orbiting each other and nearing the end of its life, poised for a supernova (perhaps a hypernova). One star is an O-type star, while the other is a star called Wolf-Rayet, 20 times more massive, massive, and extremely luminous than the Sun.
Their situation is a ticking time bomb, according to astronomers, because they are in the final stages of their lives and it is not clear when they will explode into a supernova or hypernova.
Both stars are in stable orbits around each other. As they orbit each other, Wolf-Rayet steals mass from the other star, creating an appearance like the image on the right. This further increases its brightness. It takes eight months for both stars to fully orbit each other.
Now, let's return to gamma-ray bursts. Supernovas are actually very special explosions. As the star's core transforms into a black hole or neutron star, it expels its outer shells, creating two high-energy beams of gamma radiation. These gamma rays can produce heavier, newer materials in a very short time than our sun, for example, could produce in its entire lifetime.
While these beams are extremely energetic and destructive, they are themselves very narrow. This means they must be precisely aimed to hit an object. Of course, any creature unaware that such a cosmic weapon is aimed at them will have no warning. Because the particles in this beam travel at speeds very close to the speed of light, they will be exposed to gamma rays very shortly after the supernova's light reaches them.
The best way to understand a gamma-ray's potential target is to observe the symmetry of the system. In this process, astronomers examine the swirling spirals of gas entangled by the orbit of a binary star system. According to researchers at the University of Sydney, Earth may be facing the binary star system's axis, or ecliptic, at a precise 90-degree angle.
This poses a problem because a gamma ray from the axis or poles of a supernova explosion could be aimed right at us.
The Destruction of the World
If a gamma ray were to strike the Earth directly, it would cause incredible damage to the Earth's atmosphere. It could even have a worse effect than weapons of mass destruction, instantly destroying humanity and all living things.
Just 10 seconds after the beam hits us, 25% of the atmospheric ozone layer will be depleted, and intense ultraviolet rays will flood the Earth. The damage humanity has inflicted on the ozone layer as long as it exists on Earth will never even come close.
If it doesn't hit Earth directly but passes close enough, it will largely block sunlight and cause the planet to gradually cool. In this scenario, the gamma rays will convert all the nitrogen atoms in Earth's atmosphere into nitrogen dioxide, which has a reddish-brown hue. Because nitrogen dioxide is soluble in water, acid rain will occur on Earth, just like its redder sister, Venus. While one side of the planet will be overwhelmed by excessive radiation, the other side will experience this danger only after a while (after 12 hours at most). Of course, it's important to remember that if gamma rays were truly targeting Earth, we could have experienced this within the last 800 years.
Another year-long study of this binary star system revealed that this beam might not be aimed at Earth (remember, there's never 100% certainty in science). Spectroscopic analysis of the emissions revealed that the gamma rays could be oriented 30-40 degrees away from us. Considering the distance of 8,000 light-years, such a difference would have significant consequences due to the long distance. So, there's no need to panic. We don't know whether a supernova explosion occurred, and if not, when it did (because of the speed limit, we're seeing the star system as it was 8,000 years ago). Furthermore, considering that there are approximately 100 billion stars in the Milky Way Galaxy, the possibility of such an event occurring at any moment remains.
Erhan Kilic.
