Supernova: The Largest Explosion That Takes Place in Space

The universe is quite diverse and a lot of things happen; most of which we get to know about while others remain a mystery. One of these events is the Supernova.

A supernova is basically the explosion of a star. According to NASA, a supernova happens to be the "largest explosion that takes place in space." This explosion is said to be destructive on a scale beyond human imagination. If our planet was to get caught up in such an explosion, the results would certainly be catastrophic.

How Does a Supernova Form?

The core of all stars, including our sun’s, convert hydrogen (main fuel supply) into helium in a process known as Nuclear Fusion. This is the actual process that makes stars shine so brightly.

After burning for billions of years, a star exhausts its hydrogen fuel supply which ceases the nuclear fusion process. When this happens, a powerful pull of gravity pulls the star inwards, and it begins to collapse. This as a result creates a huge shockwave, leading to a massive explosion, otherwise known as a supernova.

Upon exploding, the star usually has reached its end life and ends up becoming either a neutron star (for medium stars), a white dwarf (for smaller stars), or a black hole (for larger stars). The explosion can radiate more energy than our sun would in its entire lifetime and also briefly outshine almost all galaxies.

How a star’s life comes to an end usually depends on its mass. Some stars have enough masses to explode while others like our sun do not have enough mass. Therefore, chances of the sun exploding are minimal and even if it does, its damage to the earth wouldn’t be as catastrophic as other stars.

Two Ways in Which a Star Can Go Supernova

There are two ways in which a star can go supernova.

One, the star continuously absorbs or steals matter from a companion star. Eventually, the star accumulates too much matter which causes it to explode and results in a supernova.

The second scenario occurs at the final moments of a single star’s lifetime. This is where the star exhausts its hydrogen fuel supply, causing some of its mass to flow into its core due to the pull of gravity.

Eventually, the core collapses due to inability to withstand its own gravitational force. As the core collapses, a massive explosion occurs.

Where do Supernovas Take Place?

Most supernovas are observed in other galaxies. According to astronomers, it’s difficult to view them in our Milky Way Galaxy as dust blocks the view.

However, Johannes Kepler discovered the last observed supernova in our galaxy in 1604. A recent discovery by NASA’s Chandra telescope discovered the remains of a more recent supernova which occurred more than 100 years ago in the Milky Way.

Earlier observed supernovas include the SN 185 which was observed by Chinese astronomers in 185 AD, SN 1006, and SN 1054.

There have been more recent observations such as the SN 2008D.

The universe is quite a fascinating place and watching supernovas as they happen can be a thrilling experience. With a telescope, one might end up discovering one huge star explosion.

Otherwise, supernovas do reveal a lot about the universe- that it’s continually expanding and growing at an increasing rate with so many changes happening in the process.

Communication with Alien Intelligence - Is it a Possibility?

When we finally meet the aliens from outer space, will we be able to converse with them? Considering that we don’t speak the same language, is there a possibility that we will be able to decipher their language?

Well, these are questions that have been nagging people who have always had a fascination with trying to make contact with extraterrestrial beings.

It’s disappointing that all the messages that have been sent to the outer space have either gone unanswered or weird transmissions have been received. But what if researchers picked up an unmistakable communication from outer space tomorrow? Wouldn’t it be an intriguing dilemma?

Let’s find out….

Communication with Extraterrestrial Intelligence

Communication with Extraterrestrial Intelligence (CETI) is a branch of Searching for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI), a branch involved with the transmission and reception of messages between humans and alien civilization.

Since the 60s, researchers and scientists have been trying to detect signals from alien intelligence with no luck.

This branch seeks to discover and solve challenges that may hinder communication with outer space intelligence.

Recognizing Incoming Alien Signal

According to CETI, recognizing incoming alien signal is one of the most challenging tasks as differentiating between natural and unnatural signals is easier said than done.

Researchers are however hopeful that advanced technology is highly capable of producing a fine time and frequency structure, through which natural and unnatural signals can be distinguished.

However, according to Andrew Siemion, the director of the Berkeley SETI Research Center, it could be possible that some natural sources could mimic the type of signals being investigated in SETI research. He further adds that discovering these processes would be incredible as well.

Possibility of Overcoming the Language Barrier

The second hardest challenge would be overcoming the language barrier, bearing in mind that aliens most certainly speak a totally different language.

Is there a possibility of coping with such a barrier?

Well, linguistic experts are already trying to unravel this mystery.

It would be practically impossible to decipher an unintentional alien message. However, according to SETI researchers, the situation would be totally different if their message was intentional.

According to Siemion, if alien civilization really wanted to contact us, they would most likely choose to base their communication on something we both have in common. Furthermore, given the fact that we live in the same physical universe and are pretty close to each other(40-50 light years away), they might actually know a lot about us.

Is the Effort Worth it?

Even as researchers continue with the struggle to come up with more suitable methods to get in touch with extraterrestrial civilizations, some people still feel it’s not a risk worth taking.

Some feel there is a high possibility of existential dangers to humanity- like biological weapons or asteroid impacts.

However, according to Siemion, there is no such evidence and on the contrary, extraterrestrial intelligence could actually be friendly possibly because their civilization is highly advanced.

Scientists strongly believe that alien intelligence might have already picked up the sent messages, only that they have no idea we are trying to contact them, possibly due to a language barrier.

They are strongly convinced that transmitting more powerful signals could possibly let them know of our desire to converse with them.

Well, we can only hope for the best!

Solar Storms Have the Potential to Kill Millions

Geomagnetic activity is increasing seeing that the Sun approaches the peak of its magnetic cycle in 2013. People living in the northern latitudes may have noticed more aurora borealis in the heavens attributable to higher activity on the Sun. While a positive impact of the higher sun spot activity is the richness of the northern lights, powerful solar activity also has the ability to have exceedingly devastating results.

Currently, nearly all of society is dependent upon electrical infrastructures and systems, which are exceedingly sensitive to large coronal mass ejections from the sun. The peak of the solar cycle is connected with an increase in intense magnetic activity on the Sun's surface, which is able to spawn solar flares and coronal mass ejections. This will result in discharges of electrically charged particles into space. If focused in the direction of the Earth, geomagnetic storms can occur as the multitude of radioactive gases reacts with the world's geomagnetic field.

The harmful energy from coronal mass ejections from the Sun in many cases can cause damage to large electric transformers as well as orbiting satellites. A strong solar storm may have the opportunity to result in devastating harm to national electrical grids, which actually could leave whole countries with no electrical power for an extended time period. Also, the spike in radiation in our planet's inner orbit would remain high for approximately ten years and deteriorate satellites by decreasing their years of usefulness by eighty percent or maybe more.

The fiscal outlays of a major geomagnetic storm, identical to the Carrington Geomagnetic Storm of 1859, might be upwards of two trillion dollars in the United States for just in the first twelve months. The National Academy of Sciences concluded that in excess of 100 million citizens in the United States could be impacted by power outages whenever electric transformers fail and, consequently, the death toll could be millions of people.

The situation in which a mega solar storm hits our planet in the near future is actually being given serious attention by governing bodies and definitely must be by you too. Authorities assess that there may be between a six to twelve percent likelihood of another solar storm the likes of the Carrington storm in just the upcoming ten years. Such a storm might result in cascading power shutdowns throughout countries, which actually could take many years to restore. Without energy the world's economy will possibly come to a standstill as financial networks cease to operate and petroleum and water delivery systems fail. Additionally, air and ocean transport could be disrupted as planes and ships would no longer have the capability to rely on their satellite-based navigation systems. This really is even more reason why everyone needs to be worried about a major solar storm and have a disaster strategy.

Wormhole can create a tunnel in the spacetime for intergalactic transportation

When scientists talk about travel to distant galaxies or planets, then they always imagine this travel with the help of a wormhole. Albert Einstein formulated the theory of wormhole along with Nathan Rosen. They used the General relativity theory to explain the existence of wormhole. According to this theory, a wormhole is a tunnel in the spacetime, and this tunnel can reduce the distance of two places in a great way, and that will minimize the time of travel as well. You can consider this similar to a tunnel that is crossing from inside a mountain so that it can reduce your distance and travel time for the faster journey.

Thanks to some science fiction movies related to space travel, now those people are also aware of the wormhole that do not have any direct connection with physics. Several movies fit in this criterion, but interstellar is possibly the most fantastic movie on this subject. This is a film in which a team of astronauts travels to distant galaxies via wormhole so they can find a new home for the human kind because the planet earth was dying slowly. This movie not only talks about the wormhole, but it talked about the theory spacetime continuum as well that says, time could be relative to people.

Although, Interstellar is a fantastic movie, but traveling through a wormhole is still not practical at this point because of various reasons. The first issues are that we need to find a wormhole that can act as a spacetime tunnel for us to our desired location. And if we trust theory suggested by Albert Einstein for same, then these tunnels could be highly unstable, and it may collapse in a very short time. Other than this, its size could be very tiny that may not be useful for use to use it as a tunnel for space travel.

However, these are just some of the opinions and chances are high that someday we will find a wormhole that is stable, big enough to act a tunnel and allows us to travel through it. Also with the help of the advanced research in physics, experts may come up with some ideas to use what we have for those things that we need. And when we will have that expertise, then maybe we will have colonies on distant planets and we will have intergalactic travel to meet our relatives during holidays.

The Journey To Mars - NASA

NASA operates as an independent agency, however, it is a branch of the executive. It has grown in leaps and bounds over the years since it was established in 1958 by president Eisenhower. NASA has staged pioneering missions and projects to the moon and back through the Apollo program. The program ran from 1961 to 1972 and still remains one of NASA's greatest success stories. Currently, NASA is planning to send humans to Mars and an asteroid by developing advanced technology. Extensive research is being carried out ranging from fuel and propulsion systems to human survival in space.

The Journey To Mars

NASA has plans to have the first humans on Mars by 2030. However, the main question is how to get there successfully. Mars is approximately 225 million kilometers away, and therefore, NASA must develop viable technology to get there. Currently, NASA is developing some of the most advanced space crafts and rocket systems ever designed.

The Orion Spacecraft will carry 4 astronauts beyond the moon. The spacecraft will be launched from Florida on board the space launch system. Furthermore, NASA is also working on an Asteroid Redirect mission that is intended to redirect a near earth asteroid into stable orbit around the moon. It is expected that by 2020, astronauts will have the opportunity to explore the asteroid and return with samples. These samples will be further analyzed for their chemical properties. This will create a basis to further understand what could be expected from Mars.

The International Space Station plays a major role in the research involving the journey to Mars. Human beings spend up to 6 months there where they are studied and observed. The International Space Station has opened up opportunities which have helped to understand physical/biological sciences and space. The International Space Station has enabled scientists to understand how humans can thrive in space for long missions to Mars and beyond. This has helped in developing precaution measures that will protect humans from exposure to ultraviolet rays, and lack of gravity. Research on life support systems and human-robotic interfaces is also being carried out in the International Space Station.

In terms of technology, NASA is working on new and innovative technologies that will make the journey to Mars easier. The technology being developed by NASA is intended to provide solutions that promote exploration. Some of this technology includes solar electric propulsion and cryogenic storage tanks made out of composite materials. One can not help but notice the immense effort that NASA is putting into the Mars program. The development of cutting edge technology through extensive research will surely bear fruit. At this rate, without any doubt, the first men could walk on Mars by 2030.