Connect with us

Published

6 months ago

on

A supernova, an explosive end to a star’s life cycle, has the potential to impact planets in its proximity, including Earth. If a star were to go supernova within close range of our planet, the radiation it emits could lead to catastrophic consequences for life as we know it. However, any significant threat would depend on the star’s distance and type. A supernova would need to be within approximately 25 to 30 light-years of Earth to disrupt the atmosphere to the point of causing severe ecological damage, particularly through the depletion of the ozone layer, which protects us from harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Fortunately, no stars with imminent supernova potential exist within this distance from Earth.

Supernova Risks and Distance

Betelgeuse, located roughly 650 light-years away, is one of the most prominent supernova candidates, but its distance means it poses no real threat. If it explodes, it would produce a spectacular, but harmless, light display visible from Earth. According to Professor Paul Sutter, an astrophysicist, the closest potentially dangerous star is Spica, located 250 light-years from Earth, well beyond the range that would pose a significant risk to our planet’s biosphere.

Potential Effects of a Nearby Supernova

Should a star explode within the critical 30-light-year radius, the consequences would be severe. The radiation emitted, including X-rays, gamma rays, and cosmic rays, could disrupt molecular bonds in Earth’s atmosphere. This disruption would likely lead to the formation of nitrogen oxides, which are known to break down the ozone layer. With a weakened ozone layer, UV radiation from the Sun would be more intense, threatening the survival of photosynthetic organisms and potentially destabilising ecosystems.

The Threat of Gamma-Ray Bursts

While rare, gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are also recognised for their destructive potential. Caused by hypernovae or neutron star mergers, these events release powerful beams of radiation that can reach across thousands of light-years. Although GRBs are harder to predict and less understood, they pose a greater risk due to their highly concentrated energy, which could threaten life on Earth even from a more significant distance.

Long-Term Outlook and Galactic Positioning

As the solar system moves through the Orion Arm of the Milky Way, astronomers suggest the likelihood of a nearby supernova could increase. Despite this, the odds of Earth experiencing such a close and dangerous supernova event remain low, estimated to occur only a few times every billion years. While unlikely, a supernova event in this range could alter Earth’s biosphere, as some scientists theorise occurred during a mass extinction event approximately 360 million years ago.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Science

Sun Unleash a 600,000-Mile Filament in Fiery Eruption

Published

1 day ago

on

May 19, 2025

By

Sun Unleash a 600,000-Mile Filament in Fiery Eruption

A stunning solar eruption captured on video on the night of May 12-13 has revealed a 600,000-mile-long filament blasting away from the sun’s northern hemisphere. The outburst occurred around 8 p.m. EDT (0000 GMT) and spanned a distance more than twice that between Earth and the moon. A massive solar filament suspended above the sun’s surface became unstable and erupted, blasting a CME into space along with a cloud of plasma and magnetic energy. Preliminary models show Earth is nowhere in the firing range of this fiery ejection, but researchers are still watching the phenomenon closely.

Sun’s 600,000-Mile-Long ‘Angel-Wing’ Eruption Stuns Skywatchers, Signals Rising Solar Activity

As per the Space.com report, the eruption originated from a filament structure composed of dense, cooler solar plasma held aloft by magnetic fields. These structures often appear as dark ribbons across the sun’s disk and can become unstable without warning. Solar observers noted that this latest eruption dwarfed similar recent events, both in scale and intensity. Aurora chaser Jure Atanackov remarked that the CME from the blast was among the most spectacular seen this year, although fortunately, it is headed north and will miss Earth.

The event, dubbed the “angel-wing” or “bird-wing” eruption by observers online, was widely shared among solar watchers. Vincent Ledvina, another aurora chaser, noted its incredible visual impact, describing it as a sight worth watching on loop. The eruption is, in fact, so long, by more than a million kilometres, that it is of scientific interest and visually striking as well. Geomagnetic storms resulting from this kind of CME can affect satellites, communication systems, and even Earth.

Although it foreshadows the unpredictable nature of our host star, this particular CME does not pose a threat to Earth at the moment. Solar activity is ramping up as we approach the peak of Solar Cycle 25 in 2025. What’s more, more — and maybe more Earth-threatening — solar explosions could follow.
As a reminder of the formidable and delicate forces at play relatively close by on Earth, the sun remains a source of wonder for astronomers and skywatchers alike.

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who’sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.


SpaceX Fires Up Starship Upper Stage for Ninth Test Flight in Static Fire Trial



Apple Unveils Accessibility Nutrition Labels, Magnifier for Mac, Braille Access and More

Continue Reading

Science

New Study Challenges Fuzzy Dark Matter with Stronger Mass Constraint

Published

1 day ago

on

May 19, 2025

By

New Study Challenges Fuzzy Dark Matter with Stronger Mass Constraint

Over 80 years, dark matter has been a great mystery for the researchers. Elusive of direct observation, it has made its existence known only by the gravitational impacts it makes on cosmic structures. Even though there is a lot of indirect evidence of its existence, the real nature of dark matter is still unknown. An important attribute of its particle is mass. While past studies have constrained the mass of fermionic dark matter using quantum principles like Pauli’s exclusion principle, bosonic dark matter remained less constrained. In a recent study, scientists have estimated a new lower bound on the mass of ultra-lightweight bosonic dark matter particles.

About the study

According to the study published in Physical Review Letters, the mass of ultralight bosonic dark matter must be more than 2 × 10-21 electron volts (eV), 100 times more than previous estimates using Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle.

The team of researchers, led by the first author of the study, Tim Zimmermann, a Ph.D. candidate at the Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics, University of Oslo, focused their method on the data of Leo II, the Milky Way’s satellite galaxy. It is a dwarf galaxy 1,000 times smaller than the Milky Way. By analyzing the internal motions of stars within Leo II—heavily influenced by dark matter—the team derived 5,000 possible dark matter density profiles using a tool called GRAVSPHERE.

They compared these with profiles generated by quantum wave functions of various dark matter particle masses. If the particle is too light, quantum fuzziness spreads it too thinly, preventing it from forming the observed structures. The study concluded that the dark matter particle must have a mass greater than 2.2 × 10⁻²¹ electron volts (eV)—over 100 times more than previous lower estimates.

Impact on dark matter studies

The findings have significant implications for popular ultralight dark matter models, particularly fuzzy dark matter, which typically proposes particles with masses around 10-22 ev.

Looking ahead, the team plans to extend their methodology to mixed dark matter scenarios, where dark matter is composed of particles with different masses.

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who’sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.


iPhone 17 Air Said to Be Thinner Than Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge; Battery Capacity Leaked



Home Projector Market to Double In Next 4 Years, South and West Key for BenQ India: Rajeev Singh

Continue Reading

Science

NASA’s Perseverance Captures Deimos Before Dawn in Striking Martian Sky Image

Published

1 day ago

on

May 19, 2025

By

NASA’s Perseverance Captures Deimos Before Dawn in Striking Martian Sky Image

NASA’s Perseverance rover has delivered a striking early morning image of Mars’ moon Deimos, taken just before dawn on March 1, 2025 — Sol 1433 of the mission. Captured at 4:27 a.m. local time using the rover’s left navigation camera, the view combines 16 long-exposure shots taken over 52 seconds. Each frame used the maximum exposure setting of 3.28 seconds, enabling the camera to glimpse faint celestial features in Mars’ dim pre-dawn sky. Though the image appears hazy due to low light and digital noise, the effort reveals a rare visual of Deimos suspended in the Martian atmosphere.

Perseverance’s Celestial Snapshot Reveals Deimos, Distant Stars, and Martian Sky Dynamics

As per a report from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the brightness of Deimos is accompanied by multiple white specks across the sky, many of which are likely caused by image noise. Some of them could be cosmic rays hitting the sensor while exposing. Two bright spots, Regulus and Algieba, are easily found in the image. It adds perspective on the rover’s unique view of things, these stars, which belong to the Leo constellation. The image was stitched together onboard and transmitted later to Earth, where researchers analysed the result.

These make the resultant composition an example of other possible roles of the Perseverance rover as an observational instrument apart from geology and surface exploration. While atmospheric haze and digital distortion make it difficult to show in full clarity, the long-exposure effort shows the faintness with which Martian moons and nearby stars can, in fact, still be tracked under controlled conditions. Deimos appears brighter due to its reflective nature and proximity during this early-morning observation.

Researchers believe this type of celestial photography may enhance understanding of Mars‘ sky conditions and moon dynamics. Deimos and Phobos, the Red Planet’s two moons, are of growing interest as potential markers for future orbit-based missions. Capturing them from the surface during optimal lighting conditions offers new insights into their behaviour.

NASA continues to push imaging capabilities on Mars through Perseverance’s tools. With each sol, even distant cosmic views — like Deimos before dawn — offer new visual science from the Martian frontier.

Continue Reading

Trending