Lethal gamma-ray burst from star WR 104 could reach earth - Polidicks

[img]http://resources0.news.com.au/images/2013/05/28/1226651/941924-nobel-physics-supernova.jpg[/img] [I]A classic type 1a supernova remnant.[/I] [quote]EARTH may lie in the path of a lethal gamma-ray burst that could wipe out a quarter of our atmospheric ozone. Astronomers say WR 104, a Wolf-Rayet star about 8000 light years away, could go supernova any day, which would generate gamma-rays that could reach earth. "We could see it go supernova anywhere from tomorrow to 500,000 years from now," astronomer Grant Hill told Forbes. "For all intents and purposes, the gamma-ray burst and optical photons from the supernova would arrive simultaneously."[/quote] Read more: [url]http://www.news.com.au/technology/sci-tech/lethal-gamma-ray-burst-from-star-wr-104-could-reach-earth/story-fn5fsgyc-1226651950006[/url]

So basically, there will be absolutely no warning. Fuck.

Won't hit us.

And if I'm not wrong, gamma rays aren't like normal radiation. Instead of shielding blocking it completely, it just reduces it.

Thanks, Obama! [highlight](User was banned for this post ("Meme reply" - Orkel))[/highlight]

On the upside, sunscreen manufacturers would make a shitton of cash. Assuming we don't all die.

8000 light years away? I'll be long dead by the time that hits.

[quote]"We could see it go supernova anywhere from tomorrow to 500,000 years from now,"[/quote] Oh dear, I better start preparing right away.

[QUOTE=VOSK;40809133]8000 light years away? I'll be long dead by the time that hits.[/QUOTE] It could have easily gone supernova by now. The gamma rays and the light just hasn't hit us yet.

Hopefully by the time it blows (or at least the gamma rays from when it blew reaches us) we can have the proper technology to resist radiation (shielding, gene therapy, etc).

Dammit, so much for filling in the hole in the Ozone layer. What a waste

But if it is 8000 light years today even if it super nova'd tomorrow wouldn't it not get to us until 8000 years from now? Oh wait were looking at an 8000 year old version right... so it could have already supernova'd... hmm fuck

It's 8,000 lightyears away and could potentially not happen for another 500,000 years, so no immediate danger, right?

[QUOTE=VOSK;40809133]8000 light years away? I'll be long dead by the time that hits.[/QUOTE] That doesn't matter

[QUOTE=VOSK;40809133]8000 light years away? I'll be long dead by the time that hits.[/QUOTE] When we see the explosion that means we are getting hit by the blast wave. It could have exploded 8000 years ago.

It doesn't seem like there is any new data in this article, just more fear mongering about a star that has been freaked out over before that we don't even know for sure if it will murder us. [editline]27th May 2013[/editline] And for that matter, they don't even know if it'll emit a GRB ([url]http://www.physics.usyd.edu.au/~gekko/pinwheel/tech_faq.html[/url])

[QUOTE=joshjet;40809114]And if I'm not wrong, gamma rays aren't like normal radiation. Instead of shielding blocking it completely, it just reduces it.[/QUOTE] That's how it works with all radiation, you can't completely block it, just attenuate it

welp we're all doomed pack your bags everybody we're leaving Earth.

so wheres the guy that usually pops in the thread to say why it won't kill us right now edit: oh im a bit late

More reason to jump ship and live up there

I love how caught up everyone gets on the idea that light has a finite speed. In any astronomy thread half the posts seem to be about it.

[QUOTE=joshjet;40809114]And if I'm not wrong, gamma rays aren't like normal radiation. Instead of shielding blocking it completely, it just reduces it.[/QUOTE] It's more of that it's harder to block. Alpha radiation can be stopped by a pane of glass or thick paper. Beta radiation can be stopped by a brick wall or a few inches of metal. Gamma radiation, depending on strength, typically requires several feet of lead or an even larger amount of rock or dirt, just for man-made sources like nuclear reactors or bombs. The problem is one of scale - a supernova produces a HUGE burst of gamma radiation, focused into narrow cones. Normally we're safe because the ones that hit us are billions of light years away, and they've dissipated enough that they need telescopes to see them. But 8000LY away? The burst would only last seconds, but it would kill everything on the side of the planet facing it. The other half would be shielded by the Earth's mass (6000km of dirt is enough to shield even from a supernova's GRB). But the atmosphere, particularly the ozone layer, would be devastated as well. I won't diminish it - it's a potential apocalypse, as in "reset to the Precambrian period". But it's also fairly unlikely - even if it does go supernova, it's not guaranteed to produce a large gamma ray burst. And, while it seemed to be rotating in a way that a potential GRB *would* hit the Earth, later observations suggest it may be pointed safely away from us ([url=http://news.discovery.com/space/history-of-space/gamma-ray-wolf-rayet.htm]citation[/url]).

[QUOTE=supersoldier58;40809142]Hopefully by the time it blows (or at least the gamma rays from when it blew reaches us) we can have the proper technology to resist radiation (shielding, gene therapy, etc).[/QUOTE] More like we'll be long gone from this dumb floating rock

Man, sometimes I just forget the fact that the universe can suddenly just kill us all in an instant, at any second. Thanks for the reminder.

It'd be cute if we could cause black holes, we could make a black hole between WR 104 and us and it would absorb all the GRB. Too bad that's way too cool.

[QUOTE=Lambadvanced;40809268]It'd be cute if we could cause black holes, we could make a black hole between WR 104 and us and it would absorb all the GRB. Too bad that's way too cool.[/QUOTE] And then instead of a gamma ray burst we just get hawking radiation and a terrifying dark distortion in space that not even light can escape sucking away at our sun :suicide:

it needs to be aligned right with us to do a lot of damage anyway

[QUOTE=Lambadvanced;40809268]It'd be cute if we could cause black holes, we could make a black hole between WR 104 and us and it would absorb all the GRB. Too bad that's way too cool.[/QUOTE] Also, black holes tend to be emitters of even more powerful GRBs than supernovae. Matter falling in gets so superheated that it releases huge amounts of gamma rays, perpendicular to the rotating accretion disc. [editline]28th May 2013[/editline] [QUOTE=VTG;40809306]it needs to be aligned right with us to do a lot of damage anyway[/QUOTE] That's what the article is about - early observations indicate that is *is* aligned with us. Some later measurements disagree, but there doesn't seem to be a consensus yet.

Am I the only one that thinks it's impossible to know if it's alligned with us or not? I mean there's going to be an 8,000 year long gap for error at the very best 100% correct prediction of it going SuperNova, so how can it possibly be predicted when the margin of error is possibly 500,000 years

There's a million and one ways the universe could wipe us out at any moment without us being able to do a damn thing. Best thing is just not to think about it. Google "vacuum metastability event." Nature is a dick.