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'Death Star' Aimed at Earth
An anonymous reader writes "A spectacular, rotating binary star system is a ticking time bomb, ready to throw out a searing beam of high-energy gamma rays that could lead to a major extinction event — and Earth may be right in the line of fire. Australian science magazine Cosmos Magazine reports: 'Though the risk may be remote, there is evidence that gamma ray bursts have swept over the planet at various points in Earth's history with a devastating effect on life. A 2005 study showed that a gamma-ray burst originating within 6,500 light years of Earth could be enough to strip away the ozone layer and cause a mass extinction. Researchers led by Adrian Melott at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, U.S., suggest that such an event may have been responsible for a mass extinction 443 million years ago, in the late Ordovician period, which wiped out 60 per cent of life and cooled the planet.'"
443 million years ago
How do these fancy-pants "scientists" know what happened 442,994,000 years before Earth was created?
Trolling is a art,
If these rays cool the planet, and Global Warming warms the planet, we should stay a nice luke-warm and be fine, right?
If not, can't we just count on that layer of lead-based space debris to block the gamma rays? No? well then, feets don't fail me now!
stuff |
You mean I've been driving a Prius and spending my beer money on renewable energy only to have this happen!??!
There is no "I disagree" mod for a reason. Flamebait, Troll, and Overrated are not substitutes.
Had to be said ...
It was nice knowing you.
cmd-q.co.uk - some sort of stupid fucking internet bullshit
I own a very old house with lead paint all over the ceiling. Since your survival depends on renting my basement, I think I'll start the bidding at $100,000/mo+utils, no pets.
So if 60% of us are wiped out, what kinds of superpowers can the rest of us expect?
This is really no problem at all. I'm sure we'll find a critical flaw in the star that will allow us to destroy it in the nick of time. Possibly an exhaust port or something like that.
if years > 6000 and state == Kansas: Bad_Evolution_Jokes()
"A 2005 study showed that a gamma-ray burst originating within 6,500 light years of Earth could be enough to strip away the ozone layer and cause a mass extinction." The system in question is 8,000 light years away. So it's all good. Besides, we all know Uranus gets hit first...
John Titor would have warned us.
>> Cosmos Magazine reports
Other articles include:
10 Fabulous Handbags for the Apocalypse
Is Your Man Cheating? Find Out With A Quantum Telescope.
Lose Weight Fast - New Dark Matter Diet.
Only roaches, rats, and Steve Ballmer will live...
Tired of FB/Google censorship? Visit UNCENSORED!
errr ... "informative" ???
Yes, I'm left. You have a problem with that?
God, a ./'er asked"
God: Don't bug me, it is still the 7th day.
Human: Can't be!
God: You think 1 day to me is like one day to you? You arrogant twit, 1 billion of your years is one day to me.
Well, at least we don't have to listen to their damned poetry!
mcgrew's razor: Never attribute to stupidity that which can be explained by greedy self-interest
You mean I've been driving a Prius and spending my beer money on renewable energy only to have this happen!??!
Bart: Aw, recycling's useless, Lis. Once the Sun burns out, this planet is doomed. You're just making sure we spend our last days using inferior products.
~Philly
To Americans, at least, it's obvious. It hates our freedom.
If this happens, don't make anyone angry. You wouldn't like them when they're angry.
--JoeProgram Intellivision!
it's a rotating binary star system.
Well, I, for one, wanted to know whether he was wearing shorts, something else, or nothing at all.
You're forgetting about the photino birds.
General Relativity: Space-time tells matter where to go; Matter tells space-time what shape to be.
Bow-ties are cool.
Shouldn't we put paper bags over our heads and lay down or something?
message: Ha Ha
Then the gamma ray hits.
Yeah well the remaining 40% can always buy a carbon offset.
Let's start by putting some detectors out in space that ping us every second. When the burst hits the sensors out there in space and destroys them we'll know here on Earth because the pings will stop. Put them out about a light year away and we'll have a whole year to prepare.
See, problem solved.
I think you're absolutely right. We narrowly survived the GWB that occurred in 2000 and will have lasted for 8 yea.... oh..
GRB...
Never mind.
--Coming up with something clever... please wait...
"This calls for a very special blend of psychology and extreme violence" - Vyvyan "The Young Ones"
Maybe he meant a "Disturbance in the Force" as planets four thousand light years away from us are wiped out. Force Disturbances, as I understand it, travel at subspace speeds at least.
God: Dantoonie is to remote for an effective demonstration
Make SELinux enforcing again!
Funny that all three posts say exactly the same thing... You guys must've posted at exactly the same time!
Only from your frame of reference.
...but that moon has a thermal exhaust port.
Blank until