This article was published on August 26, 2020

A supernova may have caused Earth’s mass extinction 359 million years ago


A supernova may have caused Earth’s mass extinction 359 million years ago Image by: Unsplash: Joel Filipe
Image for post
Jesse Miller, left, Zhenghai Liu, seated, Adrienne Ertel and professor Brian Fields. Image credit: Photo by L. Brian Stauffer
Image for post
A look at what the landscape may have looked like at the end of the Devonian period. Image credit: Eduard Riou (1838–1900) from The World Before the Deluge (1872).
Image for post
Pictured is a simulation of a nearby supernova colliding with and compressing the solar wind. Earth’s orbit, the blue dashed circle, and the Sun, red dot, are shown for scale. Image credit: Jesse Miller

This article was originally published on The Cosmic Companion by James Maynard, founder and publisher of The Cosmic Companion. He is a New England native turned desert rat in Tucson, where he lives with his lovely wife, Nicole, and Max the Cat. You can read this original piece here.

Astronomy News with The Cosmic Companion is also available as a weekly podcast, carried on all major podcast providers. Tune in every Tuesday for updates on the latest astronomy news, and interviews with astronomers and other researchers working to uncover the nature of the Universe.

Get the TNW newsletter

Get the most important tech news in your inbox each week.

Also tagged with