Fernando Alcoforado*
This text is a summary of the article, published on various websites in Brazil and abroad in Portuguese, English and French, which aims to present possible strategies to save humanity from the consequences related to the cosmic rays that reach the planet Earth, especially the gamma rays emitted by supernovae, and those that threaten humans in space travel. Despite the high incidence of cosmic rays on Earth, we are all protected by the atmosphere and the Earth’s magnetic field. The Earth’s atmosphere is a layer of gases that surrounds the Earth and is retained by the force of gravity. The Earth’s atmosphere protects life on Earth by absorbing solar ultraviolet radiation, heating the surface through heat retention (greenhouse effect), and reducing temperature extremes between day and night. The Earth’s magnetic field protects the layers of air by minimizing attacks from solar winds that, without this protection, the particles launched by the Sun would tear the planet’s atmosphere and launch it into outer space, making life conditions on the planet unfeasible. Terrestrial magnetism acts as a protective shield for the Planet. The main function of the magnetic field is to maintain the atmosphere and, consequently, life on Earth.
The Earth’s atmosphere is a natural protection against cosmic rays. The Earth’s atmosphere protects us from most cosmic rays except for gamma rays that can devastate life on Earth. The Earth’s magnetic field protects us from solar radiation, but humans are exposed to cosmic rays on space travel. Cosmic rays are radiations existing in outer space, which travel through it and can eventually reach Earth. Cosmic rays are emitted by sources that include the Sun, stars, galaxies and black holes. The Sun, for example, produces visible light, radiation from different species, such as ultraviolet rays and neutrinos. Via Lactea, other galaxies and quasars also emit cosmic rays. Supernovas (gigantic explosions of stars that collapse by matter falling into black holes) also emit cosmic rays. There is also the so-called cosmic background radiation, which originated around 300 thousand years after the Big Bang when the Universe originated. Finally, most of the cosmic rays have a totally unknown origin.
Cosmic radiation can take two forms: electromagnetic waves or subatomic particles. Examples of electromagnetic waves are visible light, ultraviolet and infrared rays, X-rays, gamma rays and radio waves. Examples of cosmic rays made up of subatomic particle flows are electrons, protons, atomic nuclei and neutrinos. The only difference between these various types of radiation is the frequency of wave oscillation (which is proportional to its energy). Cosmic rays are extremely penetrating particles with high energy that, upon reaching living organisms, can cause genetic alterations. The Earth’s atmosphere is a natural protection against cosmic rays. Researchers participating in the Pierre Auger Project – the largest observatory in the world dedicated to the study and detection of cosmic rays, located in the province of Mendoza, in Argentina – found that, above a certain level of energy, these particles, which are the most energetic nature and constantly reach the Earth’s atmosphere, have extragalactic origin.
Powerful cosmic radiations are those that result from the explosion of supernovae that emit gamma rays that can devastate life on Earth if the rays come out in your direction. When a very massive star dies in a supernova, its nucleus collapses into itself, usually forming a stellar remnant, a neutron star, which is formed by the thermonuclear explosion of stars eight times the mass of the Sun, or a black hole which is a region of space-time in which the gravitational field is so intense that nothing, no particle or electromagnetic radiation like light, can escape it. If the core is spinning at high speed, the stellar remnant will spin even faster, accumulating a disk of material around it spinning at almost the speed of light. Through processes that are not yet fully understood, this superheated and magnetized rotating disk forms a pair of jets, like beams from a marine lighthouse, which are launched from their poles at extremely high speeds. The highly concentrated, extremely energetic emission of these jets is what we see as gamma rays that would annihilate any biosphere like the terrestrial.
The Earth could be hit by gamma rays, as appears to be the case with a star called Eta Carinae, at least a hundred times more massive than the Sun, which is approaching the point where it will explode as a supernova. Some researchers speculate that one of these supernova explosions may have hit Earth almost 450 million years ago. Whatever the event of the past, it is estimated that it managed to exterminate more than 80% of all living species of that time. According to a plausible hypothesis that the worst could happen, a direct impact caused by the extremely powerful gamma rays generated by Eta Carinae could devastate our planet in a similar way to a total thermonuclear war, but much worse. The intense energy of gamma rays would destroy the entire ozone layer while would send destructive storms across the planet. After that, black skies, filled with soot, would launch torrents of acid rain, which would clean everything up just to bathe the surface with the dangerous ultraviolet radiation. Literally, in a second, the Earth would turn into a morgue, and the shattered biosphere would need millions of years to recover.
The Earth permanently receives cosmic radiation from various sources from interplanetary and galactic space that is protected by the Earth’s atmosphere. The Earth is at risk of receiving gamma radiation emitted by supernovae that would not, however, be protected by its terrestrial atmosphere. Another type of cosmic radiation reaches Earth, too, coming from the Sun due to so-called solar storms that consist of eruptions on the solar surface that release accumulated matter (sunspots) in the solar magnetic field. The matter released in these storms is hot plasma, which basically consists of electrified gas. These released particles, as they approach the Earth, are influenced by the Earth’s magnetic field that protects the Earth. These particles are trapped in the lines of the Earth’s magnetic field. Cosmic rays of solar origin are rays with relatively low energy. This ionization has several consequences for the Earth, especially in telecommunications, and may even harm materials such as integrated circuits, on-board computers, satellites, rockets and stratospheric balloons. The magnetic flux coming from the Sun can also cause strong waves of electrical discharge in the power transmission cables, causing short circuits and equipment burning.
With the exception of gamma rays emitted by supernovae, the Earth’s atmosphere protects us from cosmic rays and the Earth’s magnetic field protects us from solar radiation. Astronauts and space travelers on long journeys will need protection from being exposed to cosmic rays. On long-term space travel in outer space, human beings need to be protected from cosmic radiation that can pose an immense danger to the health of travelers. Exposure of humans to cosmic ionizing rays can result in fatigue, nausea, vomiting, as well as damage to the immune system and variations in the amount of leukocytes. Two types of cosmic radiation pose health risks to astronauts in outer space. The first type is represented by the galactic cosmic rays that are particles resulting from supernova explosions and other high energy events that happen outside the solar system. The other is represented by the solar energetic particles associated with solar flares and coronal mass ejections from the Sun.
From the above, the following is concluded:
1. In addition to the risk of the Earth receiving radiation emitted by supernovae, it receives permanent cosmic radiation from other sources coming from interplanetary and galactic space that is protected by the Earth’s atmosphere except for the gamma rays emitted by supernovae.
2. The Earth’s magnetic field protects humans from solar radiation that can compromise telecommunications and energy systems.
3. Astronauts and space travelers on long journeys will need protection from being exposed to cosmic rays. On long-term space travel in outer space, human beings need to be protected from cosmic radiation that can pose an immense danger to the health of travelers.
To save humanity from the threats posed by cosmic rays, the following strategies must be adopted:
1) Monitor the supernova explosion permanently, in particular the star called Eta Carinae, to assess the possibility of the Earth being hit by gamma rays so that, before the explosion occurs, the necessary measures are taken in order to plan escape the human beings to possible habitable places in the solar system like Mars, Titan (Saturn’s moon) and Callisto (Jupiter’s moon).
2) Promote technological advances that allow the implantation of space colonies on Mars, Titan (moon of Saturn) and Callisto (moon of Jupiter) all of them with innumerable obstacles and the increase of the biological capacity of human beings to survive outside the Earth.
3) Use the Soho satellite that acts in the intermediate position between the Earth and the Sun to detect explosions on the solar surface and send messages one hour before the arrival of the cosmic storm on Earth, transmitted by the internet, so that the electricity distributors , for example, avoid damage to your networks, while satellite operators can protect themselves by correcting satellite courses or turning off their equipment.
4) Protect human beings from cosmic radiation in long-term space travel in outer space by promoting scientific and technological advances in addition to increasing the biological capacity of human beings to make space travel and to live outside the Earth.
Just as it is important to have a world government to coordinate strategies with national governments to combat chaos in the global economy, environmental degradation and international conflicts, in facing natural disasters of regional and global scope such as earthquakes , tsunamis and volcanic eruptions, as well as to deal with issues related to the collision of bodies from outer space, the same applies in the case of coordinating the strategies described above to deal with cosmic rays. No national government, however powerful it may be, will be able to carry out the herculean task of saving humanity from the threats that exist on planet Earth, as well as those coming from outer space. In addition, national governments, especially the most powerful, would favor the survival of their populations and not all of humanity. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a world democratic government and a world parliament to carry out the noble task of saving humanity from all internal threats to planet Earth and those coming from outer space.
This same article was published on the same websites listed below in Portuguese with the title COMO SALVAR A HUMANIDADE DOS RAIOS CÓSMICOS and in French with the title COMMENT SAUVER L’HUMANITÉ DES RAYONS COSMIQUES as we have done with the articles previously published. To read the full article, visit the websites Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/falcoforado/), Academia.edu (https://www.academia.edu/45125268/HOW_TO_SAVE_THE_HUMANITY_OF_COSMIC_RAYS), SlideShare (https://pt.slideshare.net/falcoforado/how-to-save-the-humanity-of-cosmic-rays), Twitter @BLOGFALCOFORADO (https://twitter.com/blogfalcoforado), and the website <https://fernandoalcoforado.academia.edu/research>.
Site Title 