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fleranon t1_je974ez wrote

Huh. I always thought Gamma Rays were the most deadly thing in the universe and would basically sterilize exactly half of the planet if one were to hit earth. Seems I was very wrong

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calligraphizer t1_je9e5az wrote

Radiation dissipates with distance squared :-) Throw in any medium (dust, gas) and it dissipates even more

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ApplicationRoyal1072 t1_je9xh3y wrote

Because of expansion of the universe radiation frequency changes with time/distance from any radiation source. Doppler effect. Add diffusion .

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calligraphizer t1_jecr9b9 wrote

Only across cosmological distances. This would be negligible for gamma rays emitted within, say, the local group, which is gravitationally bound against Hubble flow.

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Successful_Ad_6248 t1_je9hgwh wrote

In this case the origin was billions of light years away so the power of the gamma rays diminished after travelling for such a long distance.

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bluesam3 t1_jeabku5 wrote

It's a question of range. If one went off 24 light years away, that would be true (except that the back side of the planet wouldn't have a good day either). This one was literally a billion times further away.

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Bensemus t1_jeaksfz wrote

Within a few thousand light years would be bad news for Earth if we took a direct hit.

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Secret-Head-6267 t1_je9hs5x wrote

Or, all of the scientific journals were wrong. Bc everything that I have ever read on the subject of GRBs has been quite clear on the outcome of a direct hit, irrespective of any inverse square law involving wave propagation and x distance traversed in a near vacuum: total annihilation. Perhaps the Perimeter Institute and Neil Turok have some final words on this phenomenon? -J

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Bensemus t1_jeakjrh wrote

Then you didn't understand what you were reading. Gama rays are still just light and their intensity falls off with the square of the distance. This is ancient physics.

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bluesam3 t1_jeabnfn wrote

Clearly you haven't read anything by anybody who isn't a moron, then.

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fleranon t1_je9rlel wrote

Same! I think I even read something once that linked Gamma Rays to Fermi's great Filter. Instant death by massive Space Ray, Zzzzzap. Perhaps Science Mags tend to be overly sensationalistic sometimes :)

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Bensemus t1_jeakp4w wrote

They are a possibility but there's never been confusion about how deadly they are. The farther away you are from something the less energy it will have when it gets to you.

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