© Pixabay Composite
For years, Earth has been bombarded by cosmic rays emanating from a mysterious source astronomers couldn't identify.
Now, new research conducted with the help of NASA's NuSTAR space telescope has finally tracked down the source of these rays: Eta Carinae, a binary star system just 10,000 light-years away. In an event called the Great Eruption of 1838, the system created a stunning hourglass nebula in a tremendous burst of energy that temporarily made it the second-brightest object in the night sky.
According to Fiona Harrison, the principal investigator of NuSTAR: "We've known for some time that the region around Eta Carinae is the source of energetic emission in high-energy X-rays and gamma rays. But until NuSTAR was able to pinpoint the radiation, show it comes from the binary and study its properties in detail, the origin was mysterious."
The powerful cosmic radiation is caused, in part, by two currents of stellar wind colliding as they swirl around the twin stars. These winds then create shockwaves that boost the strength of the X-rays and gamma rays also being emitted. According to Kenji Hamaguchi, of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center: "We know the blast waves of exploded stars can accelerate cosmic ray particles to speeds comparable to that of light, an incredible energy boost. Similar processes must occur in other extreme environments. Our analysis indicates Eta Carinae is one of them."
Comment: Wildfire pollution does appear to cover most of the events that occurred; the dust, the oil (which could just be dust combined with liquid), the darkened sky and the dead birds (which died from smoke inhalation?). But while there's nothing too unusual about a wildfire, what is unusual is the apparent atmospheric conditions that combined to transport the smoke from such a distance and to drop it in this area. It's also notable that while much of the Northern hemisphere seems to be on fire, which in itself is ominous, no events similar to that which occurred in Siberia have been reported. Although it may be that the same strange blocking pattern which has set Europe ablaze was somehow related to the events in Siberia. For now at least, the mystery remains unsolved.
Analysis of the dust should shed some light on the situation. But it is true that volcanoes are erupting all over the planet and summer in the northern hemisphere is seeing unprecedented wildfires, and those could explain the dust reported. Although another possibility could be Siberia's methane deposits which seem to be showing signs of increasing instability through outgassing, and in some cases, explosions:
- Methane outgassing discovered in Siberia's Yamal peninsula crater hole say scientists
- Aerial photography reveals unexplained holes appearing in Arctic sea ice
- New info on 'crater-hole' in Siberia: 'Explosion' and 'glow in sky' witnessed 100 km away
- Worldwide volcanic activity uptick update, and new volcano discovered on Jupiter's moon Io
- Sweden requests emergency assistance from EU to fight rapidly spreading, uncontrolled wildfires
- A dark December: In one month Moscow totals 6 minutes of sunlight while Belgium bears just 10.5 hours
- Thousands of underground methane bubbles set to explode in Siberia
UPDATE: 27 July 2018The Siberian times reports: