Gamma Ray Bursts

High Energy Doomsday Potential

Gamma ray photons are the most energetic form of light, even more energetic and penetrating than X-rays.  Inadvertently discovered in the 1960's, gamma ray bursts are intense, unpredictable high energy remnants of distant, cosmic explosions most likely related to the violent death of massive stars.  Gamma ray bursts from distant parts of the Universe hit our skies every day and pose no doomsday threat to us.  Yet theorists do caution that a gamma ray burst from a closer region of space would have catastrophic consequences here on Earth.  And some believe there's evidence that gamma ray bursts played a role in earlier mass extinctions on Earth.  Learn more about the science behind these cosmic phenomenon and their doomsday potential through the resources below.

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