We may not have existed - the solar system accidentally experienced a nearby supernova explosion after creation

By: Maksim Panasovskyi | 06.07.2023, 12:31
We may not have existed - the solar system accidentally experienced a nearby supernova explosion after creation

Scientists believe that the solar system exists because of a lucky coincidence. A nearby supernova could have destroyed it, but it didn't.

Here's What We Know

It is believed that meteorites falling to Earth allow scientists to study the evolution of the universe. At the dawn of the Solar System, a star exploded nearby and became a supernova. Scientists decided this after examining isotopes of elements from meteorites.

The assumption of a supernova explosion 4.6 billion years ago has been linked to the discovery of additional radioactive aluminium in the solar system. Scientists believe that our star system survived the explosion due to the molecular gas that took the hit and coincidentally became the shield by which you and I exist.

Stars go supernova when they run out of fuel. The explosion ejects into the universe the elements that have been accumulated over the life of the star and the radiation negatively affects the creation of planets such as Earth.

Stars form in giant clouds of molecular gas, which stand in dense tendrils or filaments. Smaller stellar bodies, like the Sun, are born along these filaments, while larger objects appear at points of intersection. The results show that the filaments could not only act as shields but also trap radioactive isotopes, pulling them away from the young Sun.

Source: space
Image: The What if Show