Gamma-ray burst

[Marvin the Martian]

I suspect everyone has heard that we recorded the largest gamma-ray burst humanity has ever witnessed. Of course, since we haven't had much time in observing them, that alone doesn't mean a whole lot. But it was enormous compared to everything else we have seen.

A newly-observed Gamma-ray burst might be the brightest space explosion ever seen

One group of scientists refers to its as the "BOAT", or "Brightest Of All Time."

interestingengineering.com

And we are very lucky it was so far away. Anything like that in our half of the Milky Way and we could be in a world of hurt. From a Facebook group I belong to:

Fortunately for us this event wasn't in our galaxy. If this GRB would have happened in "our side" of the Milky Way galaxy our atmosphere would have immediately turned dark red as the gamma rays quickly depleted much of the Earth's protective ozone layer, allowing an increase in solar UVB radiation to reach the surface and most life on Earth would be either dead or dying. For the "typical" nearest GRBs in the last billion years, global average ozone depletion up to 38% and localized depletion up to 74% occurred. This radiation damages DNA many times normal (well above lethal levels for simple life forms like phytoplankton) and causes severe sunburns to humans. In addition, NO2 produced in the atmosphere would have caused a decrease in visible sunlight reaching the surface, Nitric acid rain would stress portions of the biosphere, and the entire Earth would be heading into a long massive global deep freeze (for thousands of years).​

​

Any life within a few tens of thousands of light years of this GRB was likely destroyed.​

It is pretty incredible to consider an event that could kill almost all life within something like 20,000 lightyears.

 

[Sope Creek]

I suspect everyone has heard that we recorded the largest gamma-ray burst humanity has ever witnessed. Of course, since we haven't had much time in observing them, that alone doesn't mean a whole lot. But it was enormous compared to everything else we have seen.

A newly-observed Gamma-ray burst might be the brightest space explosion ever seen

One group of scientists refers to its as the "BOAT", or "Brightest Of All Time."

interestingengineering.com

And we are very lucky it was so far away. Anything like that in our half of the Milky Way and we could be in a world of hurt. From a Facebook group I belong to:

Fortunately for us this event wasn't in our galaxy. If this GRB would have happened in "our side" of the Milky Way galaxy our atmosphere would have immediately turned dark red as the gamma rays quickly depleted much of the Earth's protective ozone layer, allowing an increase in solar UVB radiation to reach the surface and most life on Earth would be either dead or dying. For the "typical" nearest GRBs in the last billion years, global average ozone depletion up to 38% and localized depletion up to 74% occurred. This radiation damages DNA many times normal (well above lethal levels for simple life forms like phytoplankton) and causes severe sunburns to humans. In addition, NO2 produced in the atmosphere would have caused a decrease in visible sunlight reaching the surface, Nitric acid rain would stress portions of the biosphere, and the entire Earth would be heading into a long massive global deep freeze (for thousands of years).​

​

Any life within a few tens of thousands of light years of this GRB was likely destroyed.​

It is pretty incredible to consider an event that could kill almost all life within something like 20,000 lightyears.

So the question raised by this post . . . is whether the effect of this GRB anything close to the effect a tactical nuclear weapon would have in Ukraine?

 

[Marvin the Martian]

So the question raised by this post . . . is whether the effect of this GRB anything close to the effect a tactical nuclear weapon would have in Ukraine?

For humanity, an a-bomb in Ukraine is probably worse. But I haven't seen any updates on what happened to our ozone layer. Since I haven't seen the alarmist "we are all going to die" media, I assume no one is worried about that from this event.

 

[All4You]

Bring it...

 

[Ohio Guy]

Bring it...

View embedded media

Ha - you beat me to it.

 

[Sope Creek]

For humanity, an a-bomb in Ukraine is probably worse. But I haven't seen any updates on what happened to our ozone layer. Since I haven't seen the alarmist "we are all going to die" media, I assume no one is worried about that from this event.

For the record, I was being cheeky . . . the article says that all life within tens of thousands of light years would be gone with this GRB. That's more than what a tactical nuke would do, isn't it?

BTW, one of my most consistent fears is what climate change might do to the ozone layer. I haven't seen any reports re: that . . . .

 

[outside shooter]

BTW, one of my most consistent fears is what climate change might do to the ozone layer. I haven't seen any reports re: that . . . .

I do not think that the common greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides) are inherently damaging to ozone, as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)were determined to be. Recall, CFCs were banned worldwide in the 1970s, a rare display of policy actually following science and showing that human effects on global climate chemistry are both real and are sometimes, at least, reversible.

 

[Sope Creek]

I do not think that the common greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides) are inherently damaging to ozone, as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)were determined to be. Recall, CFCs were banned worldwide in the 1970s, a rare display of policy actually following science and showing that human effects on global climate chemistry are both real and are sometimes, at least, reversible.

. . . and heat? What's the effect of heat on the ozone layer?

 

[Marvin the Martian]

. . . and heat? What's the effect of heat on the ozone layer?

Studies show the ozone layer is improving. So I am not sure heat has been a problem.

Ozone on track to heal completely in our lifetime, UN environment agency declares on World Day.

At the current momentum, scientists predict the planet’s protective shield of gas - or ozone layer as we know it - will be completely healed as far as some regions of the planet are concerned, by the 2030’s, the UN’s environmental agency (UNEP) revealed on Monday.

news.un.org

 

[outside shooter]

Google tells me that there can be effects on the ozone layer due to warming, but the data seems mixed, sparse, and mostly theoretical. One report:

Ozone Depletion and Climate Change - Defra, UK

uk-air.defra.gov.uk

 

[larsIU]

Since I haven't seen the alarmist "we are all going to die" media, I assume no one is worried about that from this event.

Did it provide the location of Hunter's laptop, Hillary's emails, Matt Gaetz's child porn lair, the pee tapes, Joe Biden's chinese bank accounts, or anything similar?

 

[Marvin the Martian]

Did it provide the location of Hunter's laptop, Hillary's emails, Matt Gaetz's child porn lair, the pee tapes, Joe Biden's chinese bank accounts, or anything similar?

You know how it is. If an astronomer says a comet needs to be watched because it comes relatively close to earth in 75 years, the news headline is "Comet on a collision course with earth, we are all doomed".

 

[Sope Creek]

You know how it is. If an astronomer says a comet needs to be watched because it comes relatively close to earth in 75 years, the news headline is "Comet on a collision course with earth, we are all doomed".

Define "relatively close to earth".

And we are all doomed . . . perhaps not by the comet . . . but doomed nonetheless.

 

[larsIU]

Define "relatively close to earth".

And we are all doomed . . . perhaps not by the comet . . . but doomed nonetheless.

 

[Marvin the Martian]

To quote Yossarian in Catch-22, I plan on living forever or die trying.

 

[Sope Creek]

I just like to hear myself think in James Earl Jones' voice.

 

[larsIU]

I just like to hear myself think in James Earl Jones' voice.

5% smarter when I do. Watch out if I wear fake glasses and imitate a British accent.

 

[UncleMark]

To quote Yossarian in Catch-22, I plan on living forever or die trying.

I plan on living forever. So far so good.

 

[Crayfish57]

I plan on living forever. So far so good.

For who?

 

[TheOriginalHappyGoat]

For who?

*whom