The Threat of Kilonova: The Potential Extinction-Level Event and Dangers of Earth’s Vulnerability to Radiation

Capable of ending life on Earth for 1,000 years, Kilonova’s space explosion has sparked concern. Source: Nypost

Kilonova, a term that may be unfamiliar to many people, turns out to be an event in the universe that is full of mystery and the potential for serious danger. Kilonova occurs when two large mass neutron stars experience a supernova, which is a very powerful stellar explosion. When two neutron stars collide, this triggers an enormous release of energy in the form of light and radiation.

“We found that if a neutron star merger occurred within about 36 light years of Earth, the resulting radiation could cause an extinction-level event,” University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researcher Haille Perkins told Space.com.

What makes kilonovas so worrying is the radiation they produce. This event produces dangerous radiation, including gamma rays, cosmic rays and X-rays. The powerful collision of these very dense neutron stars weighs around one billion tons, so it is capable of creating an explosion of particles that will destroy the planet’s ozone layer. Not only that, this collision also makes Earth vulnerable to ultraviolet radiation for the next 1,000 years.

“Specific safety distances and the most dangerous components cannot be determined, as much of the impact depends on properties such as the angle of view of the event, the energy of the explosion, the mass of ejected material, and more,” Perkins assured.

2023-11-05 04:30:00
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