Galactic catastrophe could have a significant impact on the life on the planet.
Astrophysics from the USA, France and Russia described the consequences for life on Earth the explosion of a supernova. Dedicated to this study published on the website arXiv.org.
Motivated by the work of scientists recently confirmed by supernova explosions that occurred in ancient times at a distance of about one hundred parsecs from the Earth. The first event occurred at 1.7-3.2 million years ago, the second is 6.5-8.7 million years ago. All they left of the rock with the iron isotope Fe-60.
Scientists have tried to estimate what the consequences for life on the planet will have a supernova which would occur at a distance of a hundred parsecs from the planet. The study showed that galactic catastrophe could have a significant impact on the life on the planet.
Visible light from the supernova will not have a noticeable effect on the atmosphere and living organisms. The greatest danger will be to provide cosmic rays of high energies (up to several teraelectronvolt). They are able to ionize the troposphere (the lower layer of sheath air of the atmosphere) and for a thousand years to provide an abnormal flow formed in the atmosphere muons on the surface of the land and ocean.
The total radiation load will be triple of the existing indicators. As a consequence, over time this will lead to accumulation of mutations and the emergence of new forms of organisms. On the other hand, for people this can mean the growth of cancer.
Previously, scientists named the most dangerous galactic event for the planet. As possible variants of the threat to Earth dealt with the flash of a nearby supernova, a powerful galactic gamma-ray burst, solar super flare and passing through a cloud of interstellar dust. The last event, at least for the atmosphere, proved the most dangerous.
