We’re Doomed: Death Star aimed at Planet Earth
Whether we burn in Hell or on Earth, pressing reasons to protect the planet’s atmosphere are piling up.
Scientists say a fiery pinwheel in space, dubbed WR 104, is set to spew an enormous gamma ray blast … right at us.
Although the pinwheel can’t blast Earth apart like the Death Star from Star Wars — at least not from 8,000 light years away — it could still cause mass extinction or possibly even threaten life as we know it on our planet.
Gamma rays would not penetrate Earth’s atmosphere well to burn the ground, but they would chemically damage the stratosphere. Melott estimates that if WR 104 were to hit us with a burst 10 seconds or so long, its gamma rays could deplete about 25 percent of the world’s ozone layer, which protects us from damaging ultraviolet rays. In comparison, the recent human-caused thinning of the ozone layer, creating “holes” over the polar regions, have only been depletions of about 3 to 4 percent, he explained.
Sure, that 3 to 4 percent might look insignificant … until you factor in the fiery space pinwheel. What now, Rush Limbaugh?
All kidding aside, I plan to use this to finally convince Denn that we need a different car. *insert evil laughter* Need. As in, eminent to our very survival. Seriously. How can he ignore a Death Ray?? (I’ll be sure to leave out that “hundred thousand years” part from the article though.) :p
