What would happen if a nearby star in another system suddenly went supernova? It’s something that is actually a relatively regular occurrence, happening about every million years in a system that is within 326 light-years of Earth. So would we survive?
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00:00What would happen if a nearby star in another system suddenly went supernova?
00:08It's something that is actually a relatively regular occurrence, happening about every
00:12million years in a system that's within 326 light years of Earth.
00:17Historically, scientists have posited that nearby supernovae have perhaps been responsible
00:21for mass extinction events on our planet.
00:23But is that really possible?
00:25On Earth, we can see the effects of these cosmic catastrophic events, with experts saying
00:29that ocean sediment containing radioactive isotope 60Fe is a signature of this.
00:34Those sedimentary records reveal a supernova event around 2 million years ago, and another
00:398 million years ago.
00:40They have also corroborated a supernova explosion with late Danovian extinction around 370 million
00:46years ago.
00:47The cause of that extinction event is unknown, but experts have suggested previously that
00:51supernovae could deplete our planet's protective ozone layer.
00:54So would we get cooked by UV rays if a nearby supernova occurred today?
00:58Using advanced calculations, researchers have concluded that the maximum ozone depletion
01:02caused by a supernova, that included 100 times the regular ionizing radiation levels we get
01:08from the sun, would only result in a 10% depletion of our average global ozone layer, meaning
01:13around the same amount as is caused from human pollution.
01:16The short answer?
01:17Probably no.
01:18We likely wouldn't have to worry.