2023-11-15 19:41:00
A powerful flash of cosmic light last year disrupted the Earth’s atmosphere for several minutes, according to a study.
A year ago, on October 9, 2022, astronomers detected a gigantic flare of gamma rays, the most intense form of electromagnetic radiation.
This flash of light of record energy reached Earth last year after a two billion light-year journey across the universe.
And according to a study published in Nature Communications, this phenomenon was caused by the most extreme events in the cosmos, such as the explosions of giant stars. This gamma-ray burst, emitted at a distance of about two billion light years, illuminated telescopes for seven minutes, but left a light visible to amateur astronomers for seven hours, reports The Dispatch.
The lightning activated lightning detectors in India, and triggered instruments dedicated to studying solar flares.
What would happen if such a ray were produced in our galaxy?
The discovery should help understand the potential threat of future gamma-ray bursts. A worst-case scenario would be for such a powerful eruption to occur in our galaxy. It would have the power to “completely erase” the Earth’s ozone layer, explains Mirko Piersanti, author of the study.
Everything on the surface would then be exposed to the Sun’s ultraviolet rays, which could wipe out life on Earth. But don’t panic, because it is just as likely that the ionosphere absorbs all the gamma rays and that “nothing happens” for Earthlings, reassures the researcher.
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