The universe is full of secrets and unknown things, however some could cause serious problems for humanity.
The conquest of space is one of the goals that humanity has set for itself over the years, that final frontier between our planet and everything else in the universe it is a great unknown, full of untold wonders, celestial objects so large they boggle the mind, and some truly catastrophic events.
Being the unknown, scientists have closely studied different events that have given rise to galaxies, also to planets. The hypotheses are varied and increase with the advancement of technology that allows a closer study of certain phenomena.
Here are some of the events that marked the observations of scientists and astronomers with fire due to their characteristics as special as they are terrifying.
Collision with the Andromeda galaxy
It may be 2.5 million light-years from Earth, but Andromeda, the largest galaxy in our solar system, is on a terrifying trajectory: It is heading directly towards our Milky Way and one day it will collide with it.
However, just before it does, it will dominate the night sky.. Fortunately, Andromeda won’t arrive for another 3 to 5 billion years.
The arrival of a Mega comet
The appearance in our solar system, in 2021, of the largest comet in history is terrifying. At 137 kilometers in diameter, with an icy nucleus 50 times larger than the previous record holder, and a mass 100,000 times that of an average comet, Comet C/2014 UN271 it is so large that it was initially classified as a minor planet.
Fortunately, This monstrous snowball is expected to come no closer than 1.6 billion kilometers to Earth. when it makes its closest approach in 2031. However, could there be more threatening comets? That is something that science has not yet been able to answer.
The consequences of a great solar storm
The Earth is constantly bombarded by high-energy particles from the sun. Most of the time, the planet’s magnetic field deflects these solar attacks.
However, from time to time, magnetic contortions in our star’s interior realign and trigger a solar flare.a sudden flash of light that shoots incredible amounts of X-rays and energy in all directions that travels at the speed of light.
The result can be a blackout in navigation and communications signals. Another scenario is a coronal mass ejection, a slow burner that sends magnetized particles into space.
If this goes to Earth, a few days later geomagnetic storms occur that can disrupt communications and power grids.
The most powerful geomagnetic storm in modern history, known as the Carrington Event, occurred in 1859, before the modern age of technology.
If a storm of the magnitude of Carrington hit now, it would cause an internet apocalypse, a blackout that could last for months. However, the probability of such a solar storm occurring has been estimated at between 1.6% and 12% per decade.