Scientists have discovered that massive star explosions may have triggered two mass extinctions in Earth’s past. A team of astronomers used data from the Gaia satellite to identify young, massive stars and reconstruct nearby star formation history. Their findings suggest that supernovae occurring within 60 light-years of Earth could have stripped our planet’s atmosphere of its protective ozone layer, exposing life to damaging ultraviolet radiation.
According to study co-author Nick Wright, an astrophysics professor at Keele University in England, a supernova explosion would be terrifying and cause considerable loss of life. The team found that the timing of these events aligned with two significant mass extinction events on our planet: the late Devonian and Ordovician extinctions.
The research suggests that supernovae can have devastating effects on life if a planet is too close to the event, creating heavy chemical elements in the interstellar medium used to form new stars and planets. While the study does not provide definitive proof of causality, it highlights the possibility that massive star explosions may have contributed to these events.
The team’s research was published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, providing a new perspective on how massive stars can act as both creators and destructors of life.
Source: https://www.space.com/space-exploration/search-for-life/massive-star-explosions-may-have-triggered-two-mass-extinctions-in-earths-past-it-would-be-terrifying