What is a supernova?
Supernovae are huge explosions with the potential to sterilize or destroy entire planets. They occur when a large star reaches the end of its life and the resulting explosion can illuminate the nearby sky for months. Without actually seeing any supernovae, scientists are able to discover that explosions can be caused by large blasts of released chemicals. These chemicals explode from the outside and form concentrations of isotopes in places like the Earth’s crust.
Scientists have long thought that the concentration of an isotope of iron called 60Fe caused a supernova to form near Earth. This isotope is produced by supernovae, but scientists have never been convinced that 60Fe actually came from such an explosion, as 60Fe could also be produced by asymptomatic giant branch stars. With the discovery of 53Mn isotopes in samples of ferromanganese crust on Earth, scientists have also discovered 60Fe, and like 60FE, 53Mn cannot be produced by AGB stars. This is why Corsinak’s team believes that both isotopes are produced by supernova explosions.
A Hubble Space Telescope image of supernova fossils discovered in 2017. Image Credit: NASA.
“One possible way to detect 53Mn in Earth’s reservoirs is to calculate molecules directly by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS), in the case of the discovery of 60Fe,” Korshiken said.
Korschinek’s team used AMS to detect 53 mN in ferromanganese crust samples. Searched, because A.M.S. This helps to select this isotope among other very similar isotopes such as 55Mn, which is more common to start with as its only “naturally occurring” manganese isotope. When scientists discovered M53 MN, they realized that it is also significantly higher in concentration. This makes the team more convinced that it was the work of a supernova explosion that occurred about 2.5 million years ago.
“This investigation is an ultra-trace analysis,” Korshiken said. “We’re talking about just a few atoms here. But, the accelerator mass spectrometry is so sensitive that it even allows us to calculate from our measurements that the stars that explode should be 11 to 25 times the size of the Sun.”
Did supernovae affect Earth?
The supernova explosion was so far away that it caused mass extinction for the Earth, but it could change the atmosphere due to the fountains of the universe’s rays.
Thomas Festerman, co-author of the research paper, said, however, that this could lead to an increase in cloud formation. “Perhaps there is a link to the Pleistocene age, the period of the Ice Age, which began 2.6 million years ago.”
Some researchers believe that the supernova could cause a partial extinction known as the Pleocene Marine Megaphena, while others believe that a supernova like this may have turned mankind into bipolar, according to Universe Today. The effects of supernovae on Earth are still a matter of debate, but this new discovery by 53 MN provides even stronger evidence that a large supernova erupted around the Earth 2.5 million years ago. The hope here is that the next one on earth is alive, whenever it can be.
If you’re looking for more science fiction stories, read about a recently discovered black hole near the Earth and then check out this story about how the Earth will rust the Moon. For any matter of the world, read about the possible signs of life found on Venus that date back to 1978, and then check out this story where scientists claim there is evidence of a parallel universe where time goes backwards.
Wesley LeBlanc is an independent news writer and guide producer for IGN. You can follow him Twitter @LeBlancWes.
