Powerful Space Explosion Last Year Found to Have Affected Earth's Atmosphere

A powerful space explosion, a gamma-ray burst, in 2022 was recently found to have affected Earth's atmosphere in ways that scientists are still investigating.

The incident sprouted from the darkness between stars and came as an abundance of deep space X-rays that flooded observatories. Scientists believed that these signals were connected to an immensely bright event that happened in our galaxy.

Powerful Gamma Ray Burst

Powerful Space Explosion Last Year Found to Have Affected Earth's Atmosphere

(Photo : Courtesy of NASA/Getty Images)
Scientists detected a powerful gamma-ray burst (GRB) last year that was recently found to have damaged our planet's ozone layer.

A gamma-ray burst (GRB) is an outpouring of highly energetic particles that are linked to things such as star explosions and the birth of black holes. However, one expert argued that when comparing GRBs, the 2022 one was as powerful as comparing a floodlight to a lightbulb.

The event last year was so dramatic at first blush that it was initially speculated to be the brightest GRB since the start of human civilization. It was said to have exhibited photons that hold more energy than the Large Hadron Collider is able to produce, as per Space.

Additionally, the GRB was given the name GRB 221009A or also "BOAT," which is short for "Brightest Of All Time." However, scientists have since realized something that was even more peculiar about BOAT.

This was because it did not actually originate from the Milky Way but instead traveled from a galaxy behind ours. This means that BOAT's brightness really could not be overstated in currently known measures.

Researchers came out with a paper on Nov. 14 that seeks to answer one of the many questions regarding the GRB, which is what it means for humans on Earth. The new study found that the seven-minute-long burst, which was still visible 10 hours after detection, resulted in large "variations" in our planet's atmosphere.

They said that It ionized atoms across the ionosphere, which spans from 50 to 1,000 kilometers in altitude. The findings of the study also highlight the faint but real risk of a closer burst that could destroy Earth's protective ozone layer, according to Science.

Damaging the Ozone Layer

In a statement, a solar physicist from the European Space Agency (ESA), Laura Hayes, said that the GRB was such a massive event that it affected all levels of our planet's atmosphere. The situation comes as astronomers are not yet entirely sure what causes a GRB.

In order to send so much energy across billions of light-years, these bursts may be born in a particular type of supernova that occurs when a dying, massive star collapses into a neutron star or black hole. An average GRB releases as much energy in a few seconds as our Sun will in its entire 10-billion-year lifetime.

An astronomer from the National Institute of Astrophysics in Rome, Pietro Ubertini said that the ozone was partially depleted. He added that the effect of the GRB was detectable for only a few minutes before it repaired itself.

Scientists have conducted simulations that showed that a GRB in our Milky Way could wipe out the stratospheric ozone layer for several years. This would be enough time to cause widespread extinction of various living creatures, said the New York Times.