This blast outside Solar System was so powerful Earth's atmosphere vibrated
The burst was so bright that it bounced off the Moon and illuminated Earth's upper atmosphere, surpassing the brightness of a full moon for a fraction of a second.'This might be a once-in-a-lifetime event for astronomers, as well as for the neutron star,' said Dr. David Palmer of Los Alamos National Laboratory, who led a team that analysed the data from NASA's Swift satellite. 'We knew of only two other giant flares in the 35 years before the signal, and the December 2004 event was one hundred times more powerful'. The flare's energy output was staggering: in just over a tenth of a second, the magnetar released more energy than the Sun emits in 1,50,000 years. The gamma rays ionised Earth's upper atmosphere, briefly expanding the ionosphere and demonstrating the direct impact such distant cosmic phenomena can have on our planet.What Are Magnetars?Magnetars are the collapsed cores of massive stars that exploded as supernovae. Though only about 15 miles in diameter, these neutron stars possess magnetic fields trillions of times stronger than Earth's, making them the most magnetic objects known.Occasionally, their magnetic fields 'snap,' releasing bursts of X-rays and gamma rays—sometimes culminating in rare, catastrophic giant flares like the 2004 event.The sheer power of the SGR 1806-20 flare led scientists to ponder whether similar, closer eruptions could have triggered mass extinctions on Earth in the distant past. If such a blast occurred within 10 light-years, it could devastate the ozone layer and threaten life.
International teams continue to analyse data from radio telescopes and satellites. (Photo: Getty)
Moreover, this event prompted astronomers to reconsider the origins of some short gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), previously thought to be from distant black hole-forming explosions.The evidence now suggests that some could be from magnetar flares in nearby galaxies, blurring the lines between different types of cosmic explosions.A New Era in High-Energy AstronomyThe 2004 flare, and a similar event detected on April 15, 2020, from a magnetar in a neighbouring galaxy, confirm that these rare eruptions are not confined to our Milky Way. advertisementInternational teams continue to analyse data from radio telescopes and satellites, with a multitude of scientific papers forthcoming.As the universe reveals its most violent secrets, astronomers are reminded that even the most distant stars can leave a mark, sometimes, quite literally, on our own world.- EndsMust Watch
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Today
8 hours ago
- India Today
The last sunrise: How the Sun will die and destroy our Solar System
The last sunrise: How the Sun will die and destroy our Solar System 07 Jul, 2025 Credit: Nasa The Sun is currently in its main sequence phase, steadily fusing hydrogen into helium in its core; this will last for about another 5 billion years. Once the hydrogen is depleted, the Sun's core will contract and heat up, while its outer layers expand—transforming the Sun into a red giant that may engulf Mercury, Venus, and possibly Earth. In the red giant phase, the Sun will begin fusing helium into heavier elements like carbon and oxygen, but this stage is relatively short-lived. The Sun will become unstable, shedding its outer layers into space through strong stellar winds, forming a colorful planetary nebula. The remaining core, now exposed, will be extremely hot and dense—this is the white dwarf stage, made mostly of carbon and oxygen. The white dwarf will gradually cool and fade over trillions of years, eventually becoming a cold, dark 'black dwarf' (though the universe isn't old enough for any to exist yet). Throughout this process, the Sun will lose about half its mass, dramatically altering the solar system and ending the possibility of life on Earth
Mint
8 hours ago
- Mint
ISS with Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla to fly over THESE cities. Check date and time
The International Space Station, carrying the Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla as part of the Axiom-4 mission, will fly over India repeatedly in the next few days. Last Thursday, Shukla became the Indian astronaut with the longest stay in space, surpassing the record of his mentor Rakesh Sharma, who spent seven days, 21 hours, and 40 minutes in space as part of the Soviet Interkosmos programme in 1984. Shukla is on a 14-day mission to the International Space Station as part of a joint ISRO-NASA project. NASA's Spot the Station and ISS Detector apps can be used to check the ISS's current location. While the ISS Detector app shows you where the ISS is at the moment, NASA's app will tell you when you can next see it from your location. The app also allows you to set a reminder or alarm for the next sighting time. According to NASA's Spot the Station app, the ISS will be visible from India at 4:59 am on July 8 next. After that, it will be visible at 7:59 pm on the same day and then again at 9:38 pm. On July 9, it can be seen at 4:10 am and then at 8:48 pm. On July 10, ISS will be visible from the country three times: 3:22 am, 4:58 pm and 9:59 pm. On July 11, it can be seen at 2:34 am and 4:09 am. The ISS carrying Shukla will be last visible from India on July 12 at 7:59 pm. Last month, Shukla interacted with Prime Minister Narendra Modi from space and said that India looks 'very big and grand' from Space. 'Jab pehli baar Bharat ko dekha, Bharat sach mein bohat bhavya dikta hain, jitna ham map pe dekhten hain, usse kahin jyada bada (When we saw India for the first time, we saw that India looks very grand, very big, much bigger than what we see on the map),' Shukla said.
News18
11 hours ago
- News18
What Happens To Poop, Pee And Puke In Space? Inside ISS's Hidden Waste System
Last Updated: As astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla orbits Earth aboard the International Space Station, here's what happens to the waste he and his crewmates generate When Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla looks down at Earth from the International Space Station (ISS), the challenges of space living orbit around him in silence – one of them being something as basic, yet crucial, as waste management. While the idea of drinking recycled water from sweat and urine may sound unpleasant on Earth, in the vacuum of space, it's everyday life. Water is one of the most precious commodities aboard the ISS. With limited supplies from Earth and the impossibility of water sources in space, every drop counts. That's why NASA has equipped the ISS with a sophisticated Water Recovery System (WRS) that reclaims and purifies water from astronauts' urine, sweat, and even the moisture from their breath. The process is layered and rigorous, involving filters, chemical treatments, and purification units that ensure the water is completely safe to drink. In fact, NASA has long claimed that the recycled water on the ISS is often purer than what many people drink on Earth. But there's a boundary even advanced technology doesn't yet cross; human feces. Contrary to popular assumptions, solid excreta is not recycled. What Happens To Poop In Space? Human feces, along with other solid waste, is stored in sealed plastic bags inside specialised waste containers. These are kept in a designated waste storage area aboard the station until they can be disposed of. Once every few months, typically every 30 to 90 days, a cargo spacecraft arrives with fresh supplies for the astronauts. When it departs, it carries back bags of trash, including feces and other organic waste. These garbage-filled vessels are intentionally directed to burn up as they re-enter Earth's atmosphere, turning waste into ash before it ever reaches the ground. This incineration process is the current standard for waste disposal on the ISS, a fiery end to the most human of byproducts. What If An Astronaut Vomits In Space? Many astronauts suffer from space adaptation syndrome, essentially space motion sickness, especially during the first few days in orbit. The disorienting effects of microgravity can lead to nausea, headaches, fatigue, and vomiting. To prepare for this, astronauts carry 'space sickness bags", also known as barf bags, designed specifically for zero gravity. These bags are lined with absorbent material to prevent leakage and are sealed tightly after use. Like feces, these bags are then stored in the waste collection area and ultimately disposed of aboard cargo ships that burn up during atmospheric reentry. A Future Of Feces Recycling? While feces is currently jettisoned, NASA isn't ruling out the possibility of recycling it someday. In fact, the agency is actively encouraging innovation in this area. Through a global competition called the Lunar Loo Challenge, NASA has invited scientists, engineers, and startups to design systems that can convert biological waste – including feces, urine, and vomit – into usable resources like water, energy, or even fertiliser. The challenge carries a prize pool of $3 million (approx. Rs 25–26 crore). The goal? To develop sustainable life-support systems for long-term missions to the Moon or Mars, where resupply from Earth will be rare and recycling will be vital to survival.
