Gamma Ray burst could wipe out quarter of earth's atmoshphere

[Atomic Wanderer Chicken]

Scientists are claiming a gamma ray burst could wipe out a quarter of the earth's atmospheric ozone layer from Wolf-a Rayet star called WR 104, around 8,000 light years away in the time frame anywhere from tomorrow to 500,000 years.

http://timesofindia....ow/20341971.cms

Alternate Link

http://www.forbes.com/sites/brucedorminey/2013/05/27/earth-may-still-lie-in-path-of-potential-gamma-ray-burst-grb-say-astronomers/

[Raa]

to 500,000 years.

So I've got a bit of time perhaps...

[astropheed Veteran]

And then you wonder about all the stars they don't know about.

Link doesn't work btw....

[cetla]

Somebody tell Bloomberg to legislate and ban gamma ray, asap!

[Atomic Wanderer Chicken]

Heres an alternate link

http://www.forbes.com/sites/brucedorminey/2013/05/27/earth-may-still-lie-in-path-of-potential-gamma-ray-burst-grb-say-astronomers/

[Phouchg]

If it's 8000 ly away, it could have gone boom 8000 years ago. Quick, send someone to check if it's still there! Stupid space with its enermous distances...

[Torolol]

GammaQuake!!

[bradsday]

Well, it was fun while it lasted!

[HawkMan]

We've known that Gamma Ray bursts could wipe out earth for ages now, from known and unknown sources, due to their directionality we generally don't know about them until the hit or near miss us.

As for wiping out a quarter of the atmosphere, yeah that's bad, but most direct hits would kill everyone on that side of earth instantly and everyone else would soon follow from nature going ballistic and all that crap. the mother of all nuclear winters.

[Torolol]

no man-made planetary gamma ray shield in theory?

[Yusuf M. Veteran]

no man-made planetary gamma ray shield in theory?

It's just electromagnetic radiation, but it's very powerful so you'd need an underground bunker. I don't know if it has to be 1, 2, or 3 metres deep.

[Osiris]

Alright guys, we're gonna need Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, a scientist and a hot chick, if we can get those I feel we can come up with a plan to prevent this if, nay when its gonna go down.

It's just electromagnetic radiation, but it's very powerful so you'd need an underground bunker. I don't know if it has to be 1, 2, or 3 metres deep.

Someones never played or watched anything space related in their life, everyone knows planetary shields are on the list... just like regular shields and warp drives, photon torpedos,

[Original Poster]

If it's 8000 ly away, it could have gone boom 8000 years ago. Quick, send someone to check if it's still there! Stupid space with its enermous distances...

but if it is space... is it really a distance, how can there be a distance ... if there is nothing ... or just time you have to wait to get from planet to planet O.o this is me tired... i need to come back stonned and compare my notes

[HawkMan]

It's just electromagnetic radiation, but it's very powerful so you'd need an underground bunker. I don't know if it has to be 1, 2, or 3 metres deep.

Well, in a deep enough bunker you could survive the actual blast. Few problems with that though. There would be no early warning at all, and even then you could practically never come out, well you could, but there would be nothing.

[Vykranth]

And you guys expect the human race to be there to witness it? Thanks to us, planet will be an asteroid belt long before the gamma ray wave hit the solar system

[XerXis]

but if it is space... is it really a distance, how can there be a distance ... if there is nothing ... or just time you have to wait to get from planet to planet O.o this is me tired... i need to come back stonned and compare my notes

Distance is relative, the faster you travel, the smaller the distance between your start and endpoint is. For you of course, not for an observer on earth.So yeah, you could travel to a star 8000 lightyears away, see if it is still there, come back to earth to tell people about it all in a few years, no problem. But on earth 16000 years would have passed, making your trip probably pointless.

[DocM]

It's not the only potential GRB source, and it's likely others have caused mass extinction or mutation events in the past.

Have a nice day ;)

[Nick H. Supervisor]

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[HawkMan]

And you guys expect the human race to be there to witness it? Thanks to us, planet will be an asteroid belt long before the gamma ray wave hit the solar system

Well it could happen anytime, in the next hour even. you never know when a GRB will decide to strike, we don't know where they are as we can only discover them if we look in the right spot at the perfect time. and even then we only see the ones who flash/spin in our direction at that time. Luckily space is so massive and the further away from them we are the less the chance is they will manage to hit the perfect angle to swipe us. But you never know.

As for witnessing it. No, that won't happen as anyone in a position to view it will be dust before there's anything to witness, everyone else will only witness the after effects.... for a time... then they to are done witnessing anything :)

[Hum]

And turn all humans into a Hulk ! :woot:

[DocM]

^^ Planet Hulk :)

[Growled Member]

That would be awesome. :)

I think.