9 Biggest Killers In Space

By E.F. Camacho / November 8, 2013

6. Supernova Explosion

What is it?

Supernovae are one of the possible end stages of life for a Star, and among the most violent events in the universe. A supernova is an excellent example of what can occur during the Big Bang, even though it's not a perfect microcosm of the same event, it has many of its characteristics. Basically, it's a big explosion after a massive amount of gravity has imploded material to such a dense infinitesimal size that it explodes outward. But what causes the explosion, most wouldn't understand, because it isn't just the general consumption of all of the stars fuel.

If you're not familiar with physics, this concept doesn't generally make sense. But, to throw out a simple explanation without getting technical or teaching a physics course in this article, the sun is a giant fusion reaction. The reaction is occurring because of Gravity. Gravity is pushing gas and dust together in such an enormous quantity that pressure and heat build up. The gas gets hotter, and denser as it compresses. Eventually igniting into a fusion reaction. Imagine trying to squeeze a tennis ball in your hand. Imagine you could keep squeezing it without breaking your hand, regardless of how big the ball was... keep squeezing it down until it's not at all visible, and so on and so on. This happens in space with gravity.

It occurs on such a large scale that atoms are smashed together and compressed until they continually form new elements. the resulting heat and energy are what fusion reaction results in. This gives off light, energy, heat, and radiates outward. Eventually after billions of years of burning and fusing together; also depending on how much material gathered to form a particular star, it slowly burns out all of the fuel and shrinks into itself. The reason most may not understand, is the term "fuel is burned out" yet it can still explode.

The density at this point is again determined by how much gas and dust formed the star in the first place. But essentially what you end up getting is a very dense center usually comprised of neutrons and it keeps squeezing itself together under insane pressure until it simply is impossible to compress anymore and it explodes with extreme amounts of force; 10 to the 28th power, or Octillions. Also stated as a 100 billion yottatons (28 zeros following a 1). Not following that amount? How about One Trillion times the mass of the earth in TNT?

Is this common? Can I hide under a table to survive?

The general characteristics of a Supernova explosion give off enormous amounts of material, and energy. Predominantly what was churning inside the star in a fusion reaction, which for the most part is Iron, Hydrogen, Helium, Carbon, Oxygen, and Nitrogen; with other heavier elements, like Silicon and Magnesium also being expelled. Without these explosions, chances are life would never be able to form anywhere in the universe. At least not in the form we generally perceive and (yet) understand the most. In terms of Carbon based lifeforms. Even though there are theories that silicon based life can and may exist. There is debate about a possible Supernova that may have occurred within 30 parsecs of our solar system (less than 100 light years), roughly 5 million years ago, however it would have caused a mass extinction, of which there is no record, during that time period; physicists have indicated roughly a 5% chance that the evidence present of Iron-60 on in our planets crust is from that supernova explosion. But the debate is still inconclusive, because of another byproduct of Supernovae, Gamma Rays, that would have converted much of the Nitrogen in the atmosphere to Nitrogen Oxides, leaving life vulnerable to cosmic rays. What is relatively known, but also somewhat debated in terms of how, and how much - Is if a supernova is (mostly) responsible for the formation of this solar system roughly 4.5 billion years ago. Based on radioisotope readings. While we might not be getting destroyed by one anytime soon, we may have been created by one.

Has this happened before? Can it happen again?

All Stars will eventually die out, and implode on themselves and most will supernova. For one to possibly destroy us, it generally needs to be within 28 lightyears (8 Parsecs) While the various stages that all stars go through will vary, based on size, composition, etc. All of them will eventually expend all of their fuel, ultimately, not all of them actually explode and scatter their material across the cosmos. The ones that do are analogous to an atomic version of the Pan-Spermia process... spreading their "cosmic seeds" throughout the universe. It won't necessarily happen to our Star, Sol, because it is categorized as a Yellow Dwarf (G-Type Main Sequence Star, G2V), but in roughly 550 billion years it will begin to flare up into a red giant (which would have destroyed all life on Earth in the process anyway). One of the closest red giants to Earth, named Betelguese, 650 lightyears away, is predicted to Supernova within the next thousand years, but will have little to no effect on Earth. What will occur with our star, is the increase in temperature in roughly a billion years which will cause the water on Earth to slowly reach the top of our atmosphere in evaporation. Eventually leading to all the water on this planet escaping into space. Astrophysicists agree that there is a supernova explosion effecting the Earth (roughly) every 240 million years within a 33 light year range. But the explosion itself doesn't effect us, what does effect our solar system, and our atmosphere, is a byproduct of this spectacular event are the Gamma Ray Bursts as mentioned before.