5 Doomsday Predictions We Can Look Forward To (And 3 In The Distant Future)
3. 300,000 Years From Now Gamma Rays Could Fry The Earth
WR-104 is part of a triple star system a mere 7,500 light years from earth. It’s believed the rotational axis of the star is directed approximately towards earth (within 12 degrees relative to earth). Astrophysicists estimate that within the next few hundred thousand years it will go supernova.
Once it collapses into a supernova star it has the potential to produce a long duration gamma radiation burst outward from both its axis. The gamma radiation beam could be can be anywhere from 2 degrees to 20 degrees in spread, and since Earth is only an estimated 12 degrees off the angle of WR-104’s axis, there is concern the gamma ray jets could intersect with our planet.
Adrian Melott, a physicist at the University of Kansas says that if Earth was hit with a gamma radiation burst “You would first notice a 10-second blue flash in the upper atmosphere… but then the damage would be done.”
Is it likely to happen? New research has suggested that the earth could actually sit 30-45 degrees off the angle of WR-104’s axis (as opposed to the estimated 12 degrees) making us a much less likely target for the gamma radiation burst but still not entirely eliminating us from risks.