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A Supernova Exploded Dangerously Close to Earth 2.5 Million Years Ago
Universe Today ^
| 2 Oct, 2002
| EVAN GOUGH
Posted on 10/03/2020 5:51:30 AM PDT by MtnClimber
In its 4.5 billion year history, Earth has had to run the gauntlet. Numerous catastrophes have imperilled the planet, from massive impacts, to volcanic conflagrations, to frigid episodes of snowball Earth. Yet life persists.
Among all of the hazards that threaten a planet, the most potentially calamitous might be a nearby star exploding as a supernova.
Whan a massive enough star reaches the end of its life, it explodes as a supernova. The hyper-energetic explosion can light up the sky for months, turning night into day for any planets close enough. If a planet is too close, it will be sterilized, even destroyed. As the star goes through its death throes, it produces certain chemical elements which are spread out into space.
For years, researchers have puzzled over evidence that a supernova exploded somewhere in Earths vicinity a couple million years ago. The evidence is a concentration of 60Fe, an isotope of iron produced by supernovae, found around the Earth.
Now, a new study presents additional evidence of a supernova explosion near Earth 2.5 million years ago. This time, its a concentration of 53Mn, another radioisotope produced by supernovae.
(Excerpt) Read more at universetoday.com ...
TOPICS: Astronomy; Science
KEYWORDS: astronomy; catastrophism; iron60; manganese53; science; supernova; supernovae
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To: MtnClimber
It trigger this. Human species were then born soon afterward
41
posted on
10/03/2020 1:46:44 PM PDT
by
minnesota_bound
(homeless guy. He just has more money....He the master will plant more cotton for the democrat party)
To: MtnClimber
“A Supernova Exploded Dangerously Close to Earth 2.5 Million Years Ago”
I thought it was a car backfiring
42
posted on
10/03/2020 1:48:12 PM PDT
by
AppyPappy
(How many fingers am I holding up, Winston?)
To: MtnClimber
In its 4.5 billion year history, Earth has had to run the gauntlet. Numerous catastrophes have imperiled the planet, from plastic bags, to gas powered cars, to nuclear power plants. Yet life persists.
43
posted on
10/03/2020 1:50:47 PM PDT
by
minnesota_bound
(homeless guy. He just has more money....He the master will plant more cotton for the democrat party)
To: minnesota_bound
Our sun and planets oscillate back and forth through the densest part of the galactic plane as we spin around the galaxy. Sort of like a horse on a merry go round. The solar system passes through the dense center of the galactic plane about once every 30 million years which corresponds to the ages of the largest impact craters on earth and also mass extinction events as shown on the graph. We seem to have just gotten through the galactic plane with no major impacts, but the timing of this supernova would have been roughly when the sun and earth were passing through the center of the galactic plane.
Graph from https://astronomy.com/magazine/2019/07/dark-matters--shadowy-effect--on-earth
44
posted on
10/03/2020 2:27:02 PM PDT
by
MtnClimber
(For photos of Colorado scenery and wildlife, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
To: minnesota_bound
Another graph comparing impacts and mass extinction timelines.
45
posted on
10/03/2020 2:31:32 PM PDT
by
MtnClimber
(For photos of Colorado scenery and wildlife, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
To: MtnClimber
46
posted on
10/04/2020 2:49:19 AM PDT
by
SunkenCiv
(Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
To: 75thOVI; Abathar; agrace; aimhigh; Alice in Wonderland; AnalogReigns; AndrewC; aragorn; ...
Thanks MtnClimber.
The rest of the Iron-60 keyword, chrono:
47
posted on
10/04/2020 6:14:51 AM PDT
by
SunkenCiv
(Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
To: Ken522
“Did you get any pictures?? /s”
Nah, the bright light over-exposed the film. :)
48
posted on
10/04/2020 8:03:39 AM PDT
by
ought-six
(Multiculturalism is national suicide, and political correctness is the cyanide capsule.)
To: minnesota_bound; MtnClimber; SunkenCiv; All
2.5 M sounds about right for Homo erectus if I remember right.
To: gleeaikin
I think Erectus was only about 1.5 meters. /rimshot
50
posted on
10/04/2020 11:57:35 PM PDT
by
SunkenCiv
(Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
51
posted on
10/04/2020 11:59:19 PM PDT
by
SunkenCiv
(Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
52
posted on
10/05/2020 1:33:31 AM PDT
by
SunkenCiv
(Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
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