Sage-Tips

Are gamma ray bursts predictable?

Gamma-ray bursts explode in space at random. They are not predictable except to say that, roughly speaking, one goes off every day but it can come from any direction in space. They only last between a few seconds and a few hundred seconds, but very occasionally they can be longer.

How often do gamma ray bursts occur near Earth?

GRBs close enough to affect life in some way might occur once every five million years or so – around a thousand times since life on Earth began.

Should we worry about gamma ray bursts?

So don’t worry. The chances of a gamma ray burst hitting Earth are minimal. In fact, astronomers have observed all the nearby gamma ray burst candidates, and none seem to be close enough or oriented to point their death beams at our planet. You’ll need to worry about your exercise and diet after all.

What do gamma ray bursts tell us?

Gamma-ray bursts are the strongest and brightest explosions in the universe, thought to be generated during the formation of black holes. Though they last mere seconds, gamma-ray bursts produce as much energy as the sun will emit during its entire 10-billion-year existence.

How are gamma ray bursts detected?

Gamma-ray bursts were first detected in the 1960’s by satellites scanning for nuclear explosions, which were in violation of the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. These ephemeral events are called gamma-ray bursts.

What is a gamma-ray burst and how dangerous is it?

Of all the cosmic catastrophes that could affect our planet, an attack by radiation from a gamma-ray burst is certainly one of the most extreme. GRBs, as they’re called, are powerful events that release huge amounts of gamma rays.

Did a gamma ray burst hit Earth in the 8th century?

A gamma ray burst, the most powerful explosion known in the Universe, may have hit the Earth in the 8th Century.

What would happen if gamma rays beamed directly at Earth?

With the gamma-rays beamed directly at Earth, the radiation would destroy a significant portion of our atmosphere, specifically the ozone layer. The photons streaming from the burst would cause chemical reactions leading to photochemical smog.

Did a gamma ray burst trigger the Ordovician extinction?

The Ordovician extinction — one of the “big five” in Earth’s history — occurred around 450 million years ago when the population of marine species plummeted. Evidence suggests that this occurred during an ice age and a gamma ray burst is one of several possible mechanisms that may have triggered this extinction event.