Random fact: A Gamma Ray Burst is perhaps the deadliest natural phenomenon

Solar Crimson wrote:When massive stars explode, they can send out a jet of radiation called a Gamma Ray Burst. Containing more energy than what the Sun will produce in its entire lifespan but lasting only mere seconds, this ray travels at light speed and is very destructive. Astronomers have detected many over the years, but all have thankfully been too far away for it to do anything to us.

However, if one were to occur within--say--10 lightyears of Earth, the consequences would be deadly. As I said before, they travel at light speed, so by the time we detect one, it would be too late for us to do anything about it. It would strike the Earth and immediately destroy our ozone layer. The living things on the side of the Earth that got hit by the ray would instantly be killed, while the rest of the world would experience rising temperatures, eventually becoming too high for most complex life to bare.

More info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamma-ray_burst

Silence wrote:ok thats even scarier now doesnt that cause like radiation sickness?!

Solar Crimson wrote:Yes, my storms cause people to mutate into horrific beings. :p

In all seriousness, the worse a solar storm can do is knock out power grids and disable satellites. But since our society is so reliant on them...

delete wrote:

Solar Crimson wrote:Yes, my storms cause people to mutate into horrific beings. :p

In all seriousness, the worse a solar storm can do is knock out power grids and disable satellites. But since our society is so reliant on them...

yea..i remember reading something about them saying how a solar storm hit awhile ago...but technology wasn't wut it is now....ppl lose their minds when they can't use their cellphones 4 a few minutes...so it would be chaos 4 alot of folks...wut else would be affected...GPS?...wut about tv or internet?

delete wrote:but i need my net..c'mon solar y u gotta hit us with these storms man?

Clinton Girkin wrote:Don't gamma rays just turn you into the Incredible Hulk?

Solar Crimson wrote:

delete wrote:but i need my net..c'mon solar y u gotta hit us with these storms man?

Because I like to shake things up.

Clinton Girkin wrote:Don't gamma rays just turn you into the Incredible Hulk?

Not when you're hit with billions of years worth of solar radiation at once.

delete wrote:i find stuff like this real interesting...makes me realize how small i am...i was reading something earlier and they were talkin about how many asteroids fly right past us on a daily basis...this stuff is so intriguing

Solar Crimson wrote:
Yep. There was one asteroid that flew by so close to Earth that it was the equivalent of a person being grazed by a bullet.