Before the 60s, astronomers believed that the most powerful event in the universe was the explosion that occurs when stars collapse near the end of their life. The resultant supernova gives off massive amounts of energy and light so we can get a good look at all the commotion.
A Supernova
A Small Sun Like Ours Making Its Final Explosion and Turning Into a Planetary Nebula
However, with the improved drugs of the 60s, astronomers were able to see all sorts of things. They discovered something many times more powerful than any supernova. Gamma ray bursts (GRB) burst into the astrophysics scene with an a roar, "What the hell is that?"
For twenty-five years they didn't even know where they came from. They assumed that they must have come from somewhere in our galaxy because the energy was so intense.
The following galactic map, developed in 1992 with our galactic plane aligned with the equatorial line of the map shows the locations of 2,512 bursts detected by BATSE since April 1991. The random distribution shows that GRBs are scattered throughout the universe and not associated with our galaxy or are very local and common events (see below for a theory that is based on this). If GRBs were from our own galaxy, they would cluster along the galactic equator and the distribution would show a concentration along the equatorial line.
For thirty years the question remained. Then, in 1997 we started to get some data. Through early detection, astronomers were able to swing visible light telescope onto a GRB before it faded. GRBs only last a few milliseconds with some lasting a few minutes. [This is a correction to my previous misstatement that claimed they lasted two days and that it matched the duration of the mysterious drop in solar wind.] What they found blew their socks off. The object that produced the GRB possesses a redshift of over 3.4 - a colossal distance of more than 12 billion light years away. This is over a million times farther than astronomers had theorized the bursts might lie.
Further magic with mirrors revealed that GRBs come from other galaxies.
On Jan 27, 1999 we got a better look. "If the burst had occurred somewhere in our galactic neighborhood, it would have been so bright that night would've turned into day," according to Dr. Chryssa Kouveliotou, of Universities Space Research Association at the Marshall Space Flight Center.
The Compton Gamma Ray Observaatory Carries the BATSE Instrument
In may 1997 the biggest GRB was discovered. It was huge. After 80 days, the fireball's diameter was 10 trillion kilometers (6.2 trillion miles), or 85 times the diameter of our solar system - more than 600,000 times the volume. Can you say sunburn?
But the cause is still a mystery. One theory proposes that GRBs are the result of mutually annihilating neutron stars colliding at the center of spiral galaxies.
A Typical Spiral Galaxy - Home of Colliding Neutron Stars?
Pull out your drivers license and check your address. Sure enough, you live in a spiral galaxy. Bummer dude.
So what might happen if one of these babies went off in our galaxy? That gotta hurt. Perhaps we can look at our neighboring spiral galaxies and see if there is any evidence of a big boom.
Seyfert Galaxies
Seyfert Gallery Getting back to the out-of-this-galaxy-theory
Seyfert galaxies fall under the broader category of active galaxies. The defining characteristic of active galaxies is the presence of an extremely energetic process in their nuclei. The power of these active galactic nuclei (AGNs) is so extreme that a region less than a parsec across releases more energy than the entire rest of the galaxy, which may span tens of kiloparsecs. AGNs can outshine entire galaxies not just in visible light, but across the entire electromagnetic spectrum. Their X-ray output is indicative of temperatures orders of magnitude hotter than the surfaces of stars. Their radio emissions can be so powerful that the brightest objects in the radio sky are active galaxies, despite the fact that they are also some of the farthest objects known.
A Non-seyfert Galaxy
What Happens in One Spiral Galaxy Can Happen in Another
About 15% of the spiral galaxies we can see have active galactic nuclei. OR 15% are in their active phase that occurs after a GRB. But, does our galaxy go active? There is a way to check. Ice core samples, examined by Paul A. LaViolette, Ph.D have revealed faint traces of evidence of such events that occur every 10,000 years or so. The last one seems to have occurred 14,000 years ago. It corresponded to the greatest extinction of animals in the known history of the planet. Challenging times.
What on Earth Happens
The solar wind pushed cosmic dust out of our solar system and keeps it at bay. The super waves of light, gamma and X rays that radiate from an active galactic nuclei would create a global disaster.
Is Something Coming?
If you agree with the evidence found in the ice cores, that our galaxy experiences active galactic nuclei every 10,000 years or so, then something is definitely coming. Our solar system is 26,000 light years from the galactic center. If our galactic center goes active every 10,000 years and the gamma and X rays travel at the speed of light, there are at least two sets of super waves heading this way. Can we know when they will hit? Perhaps the solar wind can warn us. There may be messages in another part of the sky. And messages may exist in some of the ancient cultures of this planet.
Enter the Hopi
The Hopi elders sit down in a circle. One at a time they tell the history of the tribe. After each telling, the other elders make comments and corrections. When they are all done, they are in agreement. This has proven to be an effective way to record the vast Hopi indian history. The history tells of three worlds that came before this one. Each one older than the previous. Each ended when the blue star appeared. These indians say the blue star is about to appear again.
The Blue Star
Based on the dust that lies between our solar system and the center of the galaxy, an active galactic nuclei would appear as a blue star.
Other Warnings?
If other civilizations in our galactic neighborhood have figured out faster than light travel, they know when the next super waves will hit Earth. Have they tried to warn us? Ever hear of the photon belt? Most of the details written about the photon belt are complete nonsense, but it has a magnetic attraction. Perhaps this attraction comes from a deep, common knowledge of something similar. The light from a GRB would expand as a sphere but the vast majority of the stars in our galaxy are near the galactic plane. Therefore, the civilizations of our galaxy would experience the expanding sphere as a belt moving through the plane of the Milky Way. Do we have any information from any source about something like a photon belt?
One Final Mystery Uncovered
I don't sell anything, but I found black and white proof that the National Cancer Institute (NCI)) falsified their test results of a safe cancer/viral treatment. NCI gets $2 billion of our tax money each year until they find a cure for cancer, so finding the cure would be the end of their comfortable jobs. That might explain their duplicity. If you:
- Have trouble getting rid of any kind of viral infection (like I used to)
- Want to be safe from cancer
- Want to treat cancer
this may be the most valuable information you ever read: The Cancell Home Page.