Cosmic blast seared Earth’s atmosphere from 2 billion light-years away

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https://www.science.org/content/article/cosmic-blast-seared-earth-s-atmosphere-2-billion-light-years-away

By DANIEL CLERY, Science.

Excerpt: On 9 October 2022, for 7 minutes, high energy photons from a gigantic explosion 1.9 billion light-years away toasted one side of Earth as never before observed. The event, called a gamma ray burst (GRB), was 70 times brighter than the previous record holder. ...It also ionized atoms across the ionosphere, which spans from 50 to 1000 kilometers in altitude, researchers say. The findings highlight the faint but real risk of a closer burst destroying Earth’s protective ozone layer.... See also New York Times article A Supernova ‘Destroyed’ Some of Earth’s Ozone for a Few Minutes in 2022.

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