Gamma Ray Burst (GRB)

Ever heard of a Gamma Ray Burst? Maybe something linked to the Incredible Hulk? Remember how Bruce Banner aka the Hulk was exposed to a massive dose of Gamma rays in a lab experiment gone wrong. It ultimately turned him into the raging Hulk. According to superhero lore, the Hulk is the most powerful of them all with near limitless muscle.

Unlike the Hulk though, a GRB is real. It's not science fiction or the stuff of imagination. It's a bona fide phenomenon. GRB's are some of the most powerful forces in the known universe. A single gamma ray burst energy output exceeds the total cumulative power of our sun over it's 10 billion year life cycle!

GRB's are usually created by exploding super stars. A super star can be 100 times larger then our own sun. These hulking masses burn bright, live fast and usually don't last very long. Our sun in comparison is not big enough to explode into a supernova but it's life span is much longer.

As the mega star begin it's death march and enters the final stages before ripping itself apart, it's rapidly rotating mass collapses to create a black hole. That ensuing collapse is referred to as a supernova. During that collapse, a GRB can occur. It usually only lasts a couple of seconds but the power generated during those few seconds is immeasurable.

So where are these GRB's? Any lurking in our corner of the universe? It's possible but they usually occur billions of light years away; in the far edges of the universe.

But I was watching a program on History Channel recently and a team of JPL scientist talked about a Wolf Rayet star (class of super stars usually about 20 times the mass of our sun) only about 8,000 light years away that appears highly unstable and poised to ignite. The explosion in itself poses no danger to our planet but it's axis is pointing directly towards Earth which means that we are staring down the barrel of a gun.

If the resulting supernova were to produce a GRB, Earth could be directly in the line of fire. A direct hit from a GRB even from 8,000 light years away, has the capacity to obliterate our atmosphere which will cause mass extinction. Imagine the earth without it's protective ozone. Solar winds from our sun will roast the blue planet alive.