NASA Discovers Link Between Magnetic Field and Oxygen Levels From 540 Million Years Ago
According to the newly conducted research by NASA, the scientists found that 540 million years ago, changes in the strength of the Earth’s magnetic field were correlated with the fluctuations in the atmospheric oxygen. Further, it suggests that the processes at the core of the Earth could influence the habitability on the surface of Earth. The magnetic field of Earth rises from the flow of material in the molten part of its interior, acting like a giant electromagnet. This flow is not perfectly stable, and this induces changes in the magnetic field of the Earth with time.
Magnetic Field Influenced by the Atmosphere
As per NASA’s Earth Science News Team, scientists argue that the magnetic field is very important for protecting the atmosphere from erosion through energetic particles rising from the Sun. However, the author of the study in Science Advances suggests that the role of magnetic fields in protecting the atmosphere is an area that needs more research. Before knowing the complexity of the cause-and-effect relationship between oxygen levels and magnetic fields, the authors of the study decided to observe the changes in the magnetic field and atmosphere that are linked.
How did the Scientists Find this Relation
When hot minerals inside the Earth flow with magma at gaps between the tectonic plates and cool down, they can record the magnetic field of the surrounding region. Scientists have deduced the oxygen levels from the ancient rocks and minerals, as their chemical content is dependent on the oxygen amount available at the time of their formation.
According to Weijia Kuang, a geophysicist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Centre, this correlation could help us to know the evolution of life and how it is relevant to the interior process of the planet. On comparison of the two datasets, the scientists found there is a correlation in the rising and falling pattern of both Earth’s magnetic field and the oxygen in the atmosphere, dating back to the Cambrian explosion, when life came into existence.
Future Scope and Research
The scientists will examine the longer datasets in future to check whether the correlation extends farther back in time. For the specific causes of correlating the Earth’s deep interior to habitat on the surface, researchers say that more work is to be done to figure this out.
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On Oct. 9, 2022, astronomers recorded an extraordinary flash of high-energy light. This gamma-ray burst (GRB 221009A), nicknamed the “BOAT” (Brightest Of All Time), was the brightest and most energetic cosmic explosion ever witnessed. It came from a galaxy about 2 billion light-years away, and its blast of gamma rays briefly overwhelmed detectors on orbiting satellites. Scientists say such a powerful GRB is extremely rare – roughly a once-in-10,000-year event – and its record-setting nature offers a rare chance to study the death of a star and the physics of these extreme blasts.
Decoding the ‘BOAT’
According to the paper, GRB 221009A was first detected by NASA’s Fermi and Swift spacecraft. Its initial, powerful gamma-ray flash blinded detectors around the world. Its extreme nature marked it out immediately from other GRBs. Though astronomers originally detected the BOAT as an immensely bright flash of high-energy gamma rays, this flash was followed by a fading afterglow across many wavelengths of light, thus allowing non-gamma-ray-based telescopes to study it.
One of the biggest challenges was that the related supernova, SN 2022xiw, was hidden by the brilliance of the GRB and only visible much later. This behaviour highlights how the burst’s huge energy can disguise temporarily the underlying death of the star, making total observation challenging.
Insights on GRBs
Gamma-ray bursts such as this result from the collapse of a star’s core into a black hole. The newly born black hole powers twin beams of particles at nearly the speed of light, breaking through the star and creating the seen gamma rays. GRB 221009A data fit this model but surprise us. Astronomers employed the James Webb Space Telescope to locate the supernova burst but could not detect a hint of heavy elements such as gold or platinum in the debris. Meanwhile, NASA’s Fermi satellite observed an odd gamma-ray line, which is potentially the first unmistakable detection of electrons colliding with positrons (their antimatter counterparts) and annihilating in a GRB jet. These clues are helping researchers refine models of GRBs, stellar collapse, and how heavy elements are forged.
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Gamma-Ray Burst, GRB 221009A, BOAT, Supernova, JWST, Fermi, Stellar Death, Cosmic Explosion, Astrophysics, Space Discovery, NASA
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