A hypernova is a rare and powerful type of supernova that emits twin jets of plasma at nearly the speed of light. It can halve the density of the ozone layer, posing a major threat to all forms of life. Hypernovae occur only about five times every million years in our galaxy and are a source of heavy elements such as uranium. They are also the source of the first mysterious gamma-ray bursts. Star systems based on neutron stars and black holes have little other material, creating an explosion of longer duration.
A hypernova is a special type of supernova created when a star at least 40 times more massive than our Sun burns up its nuclear fuel and collapses directly into a black hole, emitting twin jets of plasma at nearly the speed of light. A hypernova is the most energetic event in the universe, with chunks of matter the size of the Sun being converted into electromagnetic radiation almost instantly. If a hypernova explodes in our vicinity of the galactic neighborhood, it could halve the density of the ozone layer, posing a major threat to all forms of life. Fortunately, the closest star, even theoretically capable of undergoing a hypernova, is thousands of light-years away. However, a hypernova can be considered an existential risk to humanity, albeit of a relatively low probability.
A conventional supernova is very energetic, capable of outshining its host galaxy for weeks or months. A hypernova is even more powerful, but significantly rarer: In our galaxy, hypernova occurs only about five times every million years. Like conventional supernovae, hypernovae are a source of heavy elements such as uranium. Normal smelting processes can only create heavy elements such as iron. To create atoms heavier than iron requires temperatures and pressures of such intensity that are not found in the normal operational life of a star, but only at its death.
Only recently have hypernovas been discovered to be the source of the first mysterious gamma-ray bursts, intense bursts of light that last between seconds and hours. The shortest gamma-ray bursts occur in star systems composed of only two neutron stars, or a neutron star and a black hole. Neutron stars are extremely dense stellar remnants that release enormous energies when they collide.
Because the gravity created by neutron stars and black holes is so strong, star systems based on them have little other material, and when they collide, energy is released from them but not from anything else. In a normal star system, there are significant amounts of gas and rock surrounding the star, creating an explosion of longer duration as the material is “ignited” by the hypernova explosion. Some of these explosions have been blamed for mass extinctions in the earth’s early history.
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