Gamma-Ray Burst Blasted Earth in 8th Century: Study

A mystery wave of cosmic radiation that smashed into Earth in the eighth century may have come from two black holes that collided, a study published on Monday says, according to AFP.

 Clues for the strange event were unearthed last year by Japanese astrophysicist Fusa Miyake, who discovered a surge in carbon-14 — an isotope that derives from high-energy radiation — in the rings of ancient cedar trees.

 Dating of the trees showed that the burst struck the Earth in either 774 or 775 AD.

 But what was the nature of the radiation, and what caused it?

 Space scientists lined up the usual suspects only to let them go. There was no evidence that an exploding star, also called a supernova, occurred at that time, they found.

 The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, a record in Old English, makes a dramatic reference to the appearance of a “red crucifix” seen in the skies after sunset. But that happened in 776 AD, which was too late to tally with the event marked by the tree rings.

 Also ruled out was a tantrum by the Sun, which can throw out sizzling cosmic rays or gouts of energy called solar flares.

 Writing in Monthly Notices, a journal of Britain’s Royal Astronomical Society, German-based scientists Valeri Hambaryan and Ralph Neuhaeuser have come up with a new explanation.

 The pair suggest that two black holes collided and then merged, releasing an intense but extremely brief burst of gamma rays.

 A collision of neutron stars or “white dwarf” stars (tiny, compact stars near the end of their lives) may also have been the cause, say Hambaryan and Neuhaeuser of the University of Jena’s Astrophysics Institute.

 Mergers of this kind are often spotted in galaxies other than our own Milky Way, and do not generate visible light.

R.S

You might also like
Latest news
China evacuated 282,000 people ahead of the Typhoon Kong-rey Zionist enemy committed 10 bloody massacres in south Lebanon yesterday Zionist occupation killed several Palestinian citizens in central Gaza Strip PA issues a statement on the 107th anniversary of the ill-fated Balfour Declaration Al-Mardini discusses with ALECSO’s director and Russian delegation educational cooperation World Health Organization Expresses Concern Over Israeli Attacks on Lebanese Health Facilities On the Second Day of the World Education Meeting... Minister of Education Presents an Intervention o... 9 Settlers Injured as a Result of the Lebanese Resistance Targeting Several Settlements in Northern ... The UN Warns of the Danger of Israeli Raids on Archaeological Sites in Lebanon 3 Martyrs in an Israeli Enemy Raid on The Town of al-Qamatiya in Lebanon 29 Martyrs in a New Massacre by the Israeli Enemy in al-Nuseirat Camp The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Monkeypox Is Out of Control   National Environment Day... raising awareness of the Importance of Dealing Properly with Natural and... Albusaidi: Western Countries Must Put an End to Israeli Aggressions in The Region Lebanon… 11 Martyrs and 14 Wounded by Israeli Aggression Against Baalbek and Several Villages Lavrov Condemns Israeli Entity's Crimes in Assassinating Resistance Leaders in Lebanon and Palestine On The Sidelines of The World Education Meeting in Brazil... The Syrian Delegation Discusses Ways to... Great efforts are being exerted to control huge fire in Lattakia northern countryside Ala: The occupation’s decision to ban UNRWA activities will have serious humanitarian repercussions 43,204 people martyred over 101,640 injured in Gaza strip since the beginning of the Israeli aggress...