Star's Supernova Could Fire Deadly Gamma Rays At Earth

March 4, 2008 10:38 p.m. EST

Sydney, Australia (AHN) - One of two stars in a binary system 8,000 light years away may fire off gamma rays that could destroy the Earth's ozone layer when it explodes. The "Doomsday scenario" probability is detailed in a study by astronomers at the University of Sydney in Australia and published in the Astrophysical Journal.

According to Cosmos magazine, lead researcher Peter Tuthill said a star called Wolf-Rayet (WR 104) in the constellation Sagittarius may put the Earth at risk. During a supernova, intense gamma rays burst out from the poles of a star and the narrow beam travels through space in a straight line. The problem is, WR 104's pole is directly aligned with Earth.

The researchers were able to determine the position of the star's poles by combining images of a vast and glowing plume of heated dust and gas. The images, which were taken through Hawaii's Keck Telescope over the past eight years, showed a spiral tail of dust and gas caused by the rotation of the WR 104 and its companion star.

Nonetheless, Tuthill said further research is needed to confirm their findings. He added that the date of a supernova is hard to predict.

A 2005 study led by Adrian Melott of the University of Kansas in Lawrence, U.S. suggest that a gamma ray burst that hit Earth and destroyed its ozone layer may have been responsible for killing 60 percent of life on the planet 443 million years ago or in the late Ordovician period.