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Due to the stunning energy bursts they produce, supernovae (or supernovas, as you choose) have long been a focus of considerable attention and inquiry. But according to the data gathered by NASA's Chandra Observatory, they might really be a bigger threat to life than previously imagined.

Leyman defined a supernova as the explosion of an extremely intense blast of light that occurs when a star reaches the end of its existence. They are essential to our basic existence, according to the US Energy Department (DOE), and they have the capacity to emit more energy than our sun will in its whole lifespan.

The DOE notes on its website that supernovae are "considered one of the original sources of the elements heavier than iron in the Universe." Even your blood's iron can be linked to supernovae or other cosmic explosions that occurred long before our Sun had been created. But rather than only being appreciative of these cosmic events, we ought to be a little worried as well.

Chandra Observatory observations of 31 supernovae indicate that planets up to 160 light-years away may be harmed by the powerful X-rays emitted by exploding stars. This is due to the fact that while the supernova's initial outburst fades within a few weeks, the X-rays it emits can survive for many months or even decades and travel considerably farther than the blast itself.

IFL Science notes that although these harmful rays are unlikely to reach Earth's surface due to its oxygen-rich atmosphere, they would nonetheless form compounds that would seriously harm the ozone layer. As a result, the biosphere would be exposed to UV radiation from the planet's star (in our instance, the sun), making it hard for humans and animals to exist anywhere other than the deep ocean or underground.

Even though they are uncommon, these events have a noticeable impact on the radiation environment of the galaxy and constitute a serious threat to terrestrial biospheres since their ionizing radiation can significantly affect a planet's atmospheric chemistry at a great distance, according to the study.

Since there are no prospective supernovae within the X-ray danger zone, the Earth is not now at risk from such an occurrence, according to Connor O'Mahoney of the University of Illinois, one of the paper's authors. But even so, there is evidence that our beloved planet has come quite near to supernovae in the past. In fact, it appears that these explosions happened before the Solar System was formed. It is most likely that Earth has experienced many nearby supernovae in the past.

It's likely that one or more of these supernovae were interacting and the Earth's atmosphere was exposed to a significant amount of X-ray radiation as a result. This would suggest that [supernova] X-ray emission has significantly impacted Earth and may have even contributed to the evolution of life.

Additionally, they emphasize the significance of taking into account supernova X-ray emission when determining "how life can evolve elsewhere in our galaxy and other star-forming regions."

"[Supernovca] X-ray emission needs to be considered in attempts to quantify habitability and/or locate potential biospheres as we continue to detect more exoplanets and advance the search for extraterrestrial life," the authors write.