T Pyxidis supernova could kill us all! (in 10,000,000 years or so)

Tom Swiss [ 5 January 2010 - 11:04am ]

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Just in case you need something fresh to worry about: recent observations of T Pyxidis, a rare "recurrent nova" consisting of a white dwarf and a sun-like companion orbiting each other -- show that it is much closer than previously thought (just 3,260 light years) and that it could eventually (in about ten million years) go supernova.

A supernova that "close" (in cosmic terms) could alter our atmosphere and destroy the ozone layer, with cataclysmic results for life here on our pale blue dot.

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T Pyxidis supernova could kill us all! (in 10,000,000 years or so)

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