A spectacular, rotating binary star system is a ticking time bomb, ready to throw out a searing beam of high-energy gamma rays – and Earth may be right in the line of fire.
...
"If such a gamma-ray burst happens, we really do not want Earth to be in the way," [Peter Tuthill, lead researcher of the team,] said. "I used to appreciate this spiral just for its beautiful form, but now I can't help a twinge of feeling that it is uncannily like looking down a rifle barrel."
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Posts
|