I’d like to talk about Gamma Ray bursts real quick yall.


But before I do, let me just recount what happens when a star dies. We’ll disregard red dwarves as those stars will actually outlive the universe as we know it as each of those motherfuckers burn through their hydrogen so slowly, there is no red dwarf star in existence that is even remotely done with its infancy.

Anyways, a star the mass of our sun, which is an average sized yellow star will take about 10 billion years to burn through it’s hydrogen fuel. What it’s doing right now as we speak is fusing hydrogen atoms into denser helium atoms. However, once it gets to the point where it only has helium left, in order to fuse that into carbon, it must then heat up 10 times hotter than it’s current temperature (gravity attempting to crush the star will supply this heat), causing it to swell, and eventually burn away the oceans of the earth. If we’re lucky, life on earth will die that way. Once the sun has burned through it’s helium, which will only take 100 million years, it will attempt to fuse carbon into oxygen and heavier elements, but it simply wont have the mass to do so. In short it will be kept in it’s current state first by electrons repelling each other, then by Nutrons (I believe).

But the real action starts with larger stars, the size of 10 solar masses. Once they’ve exhausted their hydrogen, then helium, they have enough mass and weight to actually fuse carbon into heavier elements. The problem is that eventually the stars try to fuse iron, and since that process actually uses more energy than it expels through fusion, the star collapses in on itself.
The explosion of such an event is known as a supernova of course, but the during the collapsing of the star, two extremely bright beams of light shoot from either end of it. Its kind of like poking a pen through the middle hole in a compact disk.

These beams of light are known as Gamma Ray bursts, and they are the most luminous events since the big bang. Anything within 1000 light years of the beam will be in it’s path of destruction. In the short few seconds that a gamma ray burst lives, it will emit more energy and radiation than the sun will in its entire 10 billion year lifetime.

If a gamma ray bursts were to hit the earth, and the likeliness of that happening would be about once in the earth’s entire lifetime, the gamma ray burst would come without warning. This of course is because the radiation is being emitted from the newly collapsing blackhole at the speed of light, not allowing any time for warning.

The ferocity of such an event 500 light years away would be likened to standing within’ 1 mile from the Hiroshima explosion, any where on that side earth that receives the ray. Though lasting only a few seconds to a few short minutes, it would cook everything in the hemisphere that faces it immediately, burning up half the ozone layer, triggering tsunamis, hurricanes, and even earthquakes. The chemical reactions with nitrogen in the atmosphere would diffuse to the other side of the planet causing very acidic rainfall and mass extinctions would ensue.

All without warning.

In 2007 the usual 3 or 4 bursts recorded per week has gone significantly up in number. Remember, these bursts are so powerful that they can be easily viewed from other galaxies (which is why scientists originally thought all the bursts were coming from within our own).



[Edited 10/26/07 13:04pm]

Imago said:

You're really that "rimmer" guy, aren't you?

Illustrator said:

Illy!!

I'd love to chat but I jst reminded myself that I forgot to turn off the ummm light.

rushing07 said:

We don't need a light honey--I look better in the dark

sooooo are we gonna die or what?

Imago said:

You feel good in dark places too.

It's 4:30 am. I gotta wake up in 5 hours.

DanceWme said:

No.
We're all gonna be turned into incredible Hulks.
Which, for me, is gonna be pretty embarrassing,
since my pants are already stretched to their fullest capacity

Illustrator said:

sooooo u have a big dick?

Well, that was a great thing to read right before going to bed.

I think the only thing that will perk me up is playing "Diamonds and Pearls" a few times on the iPod.

Man, I love that song...

DanceWme said:

I think so.


Even a direct blast of wind from Howard Stern's asshole can cause damage--imagine what a gamma ray burst would do! http://www.youtube.com/wa...544F1CgymA

RodeoSchro said:

wrong forum

DanceWme said:

Only when you make it angry.

Imago said:

I MUST go to bed now. I've just wet my pants

Anxiety said:

Correction:
Wrong internet.

Imago said:

I've been baiting you with that all day. Thanks for finally noticing.

Illustrator said:

Well if it turns green .. i dont want it

RodeoSchro said:

OMG, you have?

Which thread(s)?


I'm not very good at checking threads I originally post on

Imago said:

It's too late to say you're sorry. I'm going to bed now.

DanceWme said:

http://www.youtube.com/wa...5p8P75i8mc

Imago said:

i wanna prank call people now

Illustrator said:

http://www.youtube.com/wa...ZO3pk56o7c


Illy!

That may be, but if we are all gonna die. I know we all deserve it.

What was the purpose of Cable TV?

I want my MTV. salty in 1981.

Before they had all the shows and played only videos and concerts
and the occasional movie premiere. Well maybe not. since they never
played the Pointer Sisters or Earth Wind and Fire. Or the
Commodores.

salty said:

This post has inspired me to go outside and pray for a gamma ray burst.

Imago said:

why do u have me watching these now????

http://www.youtube.com/wa...l0e__XhPik

DanceWme said:

They're priceless!

Imago said:

As well it should. It's better that way.

salty said: