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Beams from brightest gamma ray burst ever seen were pointed directly at Earth
(go.theregister.com)
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this post was submitted on 12 Jun 2023
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I am scared and glad that this was really really far away.
nothing scarier than seeing the words "gamma ray burst pointed directly at earth"
Literally had me checking my geiger counter when I saw that headline.
Yes, my thoughts exactly - that would never happen, right? Right?
one of our major extinction events may have been caused by a gamma-ray burst. Emphasis on may, we haven't arrived at certainty on that one.
Makes me wonder how large the "cone" of such a burst can get and how often GRBs happen in absolute terms if this tiny target gets hit twice in only a couple of million years. Anyone an expert on this?
Also, I'll never sleep again.