A stellar magnetar explosion
21 February 2005
by Richard
Conan-Davies
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Astronomers and astrophysicists from Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics have revelaed that back on the 27th of December 2004 there was a an explosion from a type of neutron star called a magnetar that was so large it only occurs once every 1000 years. If the explosion was closer than 10 light years it would have wiped out the ozone layer leading to major extinctions. Yosi Gelfand, who is an author of one of the many research papers about this intenese explosion, explained that "Fortunately, there are no magnetars anywhere near the earth. An explosion like this within a few trillion miles could really ruin our day," It is thought that this kind of explosion is similar to a solar flare except that these stars have such densely packed surfaces that can sometimes explode so violently that the gamma rays released can be destructive for several thousand light years around. |
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Related Links
Original news release from Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
Nature &
Science News
ClearlyExplained.com