Scientists: massive energy spill by nearby star could blanket Earth

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Kitt Peak, Arizona (M$M) - A group of scientists monitoring astronomical conditions has detected a massive release of energy, which if calculations are correct, could affect half of the Earth's surface as early as tomorrow. A G2 star nicknamed "Sol" has been detected approximately 93 million miles from the Earth, and though there is no collision course predicted for at least the next 5 billion years, calculations point to a probable inundation of as much as half of the Earth's surface, possibly as early as tomorrow morning. The potential for trillions of watt-hours of energy, essentially for free, has caught the attention of key members of the boards of directors of several major multnational energy companies. "Whatever happens, it cannot and will not mean the end of buying gasoline. Period. Don't quit buying gasoline. That's the word we want to get out." A United Nations Task Force commissioned late tonight issued an advisory - to be introduced as a resolution tomorrow - to all chlorophyll-containing plants in the affected area that they may be at risk for photosynthesis and growth. The American Association of Lizards has sent e-mail to all subscribing lizards that tomorrow "will probably be a favorable day for just lounging on a rock, though be prepared to scurry away when necessary." President Obama is scheduled to announce on live television a coordinated relief effort involving both FEMA and state and local agencies to distribute millions of packages containing sunscreen, popsicles, sidewalk chalk, margarita mix and Jimmy Buffett CDs at special distribution stations at most military bases. Rush Limbaugh has scheduled Newt Gingrich for a special edition of his show to deny that the sun is rising. Grover Norquist will also be on hand to propose cutting any sunshine taxes in half, even if there are no such taxes.

[RagAss]

1. I'm all for it !

[Bolo Boffin]

2. Aw, jeez. n/t

[47of74]

3. AHEM

[jberryhill]

4. It is nuclear powered, so we should not use it /nt

[Frank Cannon]

7. Not to mention carcinogenic. n/t

[mindwalker_i]

8. It's a giant, unsheilded nuclear reactor

Aren't there laws against that?

[bvar22]

5. OMG!

I'll have to protect the Veggie Garden from this horrible burst of energy.
:cry:

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

6. I know you're being funny.....

...but solar flares/gamma radiation from space could end up being a FUBAR moment someday. Gas won't be needed when eveything with an electric current running through it is fried.

[johnaries]

13. I'm looking for that book. I think it was called FLARE, and I'm pretty

sure it was written by Larry Niven and Jerry Purnelle. I remember it was a great book, but I can't seem to find it....

[Taitertots]

9. Wow, now just find a realistic way to use that to replace oil n/t

[TexasObserver]

10. Bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow ...

The sun'll come out ... tomorrow.

[Dr Morbius]

11. Typical M$M. Only telling one side of the story!

Truth is, that same wave of radiation is currently affecting the other side of the planet.

But can we get both sides from this mainstream media? Of course not!

[roguevalley]

12. I'm at the point where if it blows me off into the orbit of Mars I will be

glad. I shouldn't have read the stories on the spill. Sometimes I think its easier to check out than pick up the newspaper.

[HopeHoops]

14. Has FOX found a way to blame the energy spill on Obama yet?

:shrug:

[Morning Dew]

15. Unfortunately, the crisis will not pass anytime soon.

Scientists predict this spill could continue for another 4-5 billion years.

Worse yet, no efforts are being made to contain it.

[spin]

16. Actually we are staring down the gun barrel of death ...

Real Death Star Aimed at Earth


The pretty pinwheel that makes the system so distinctive is now know to be a combination of two stars - a blue star orbiting the Wolf-Rayet 104. Note that the "Wolf-Rayet" name is the astronomical equivalent of a beeping red LCD countdown reading "0:01" - it's a swollen star getting ready for final supernova detonation. At the moment its fusion reactions are blasting its own photosphere off into space, where the blue companion orbits and illuminates the material, creating a seriously impressive spiral over twice the size of our solar system.

We have a perfect view of this pinwheel pattern, since the spiral is at right angles to us, in the same way a man being held at gunpoint has a perfect view of the little hole the bullets come out of. And the gun is over twenty-five times the size of the sun. When a binary system collapses into a black hole, which astronomers call 'coalescence' (a euphemism which makes 'heated debate' a valid description of World War II), it can release a gigantic burst of gamma rays. Gamma rays are the ultimate high energy electromagnetic radiation, and while the burst lasts less than two minutes it can contain more energy than the entire mass of the sun converted into energy by E = m c^2. You'll notice that the mass of the sun and the speed of light, c, are extremely large numbers.

On the upside we'll never see it coming. The EM-burst travels the speed of light so the only warning we'd have is dying - which most people will accept is a little too late. The dinosaurs certainly did (some scientists believe historical mass extinctions were caused by similar intergalactic "life reset button" gamma bursts). Even better, this Earthicidal explosion may have already happened with the lethal radiation already speeding its way right at us. On the other hand, the big boom might not happen for hundreds of thousands of years - and might do so without a peep of gamma radiation.

The combination of science and philosophy is a challenging field that many don't bother with, but this is a strong motivation to start. If you could die tomorrow, how would you like to live today?
http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2008/03/real-death-star.html