The consensus explanation for this involves a hypothetical super-massive black hole at the center of our galaxy. However, the existence of such an object is theoretically dodgy. It is also in contradiction with observations made back in 2014, when a large object, probably a gas cloud, passed the center without anything happening.
More plausible explanations can be found in the Electric Universe paradigm. Charged plasma, and the high density of charged bodies in the center of galaxies, can combine to produce flares, electric pinches and discharges. The list of possibilities is long.
But regardless of explanation, the observations fit well with the galactic super-wave theory proposed by Paul La Violette in his work. Central to his idea is that our galaxy, like every other galaxy, will flare up every now and again, with particularly violent outbursts producing super-waves of cosmic radiation.
While the recent up-tick in activity at the center of our galaxy is unlikely to be a super-wave, it may be strong enough for astronomers to test some of the predictions of La Violette's theory. We should for instance see an up-tick in very high energy cosmic radiation coming from the center of our galaxy.
The center of our galaxy is 52850 light years away from us, so only the very fastest particles will strike within months from the initial visible flare. The vast majority of particles will strike later. Particles traveling at 99% of the speed of light will arrive 528 years into the future, and those traveling at 90% will arrive a full 5285 years into the future. We can therefore only hope to detect the most energetic particles in our lifetime. However, we may be able to see what is in store for us by observing stars closer to the center of our galaxy, where events will unfold sooner, and at a brisker pace.
La Violette predicts that stars will flare up as a direct consequence of being hit by a super-wave. We should therefore be able to see some evidence of this due to the recent flaring at the galactic center. There should be a shock wave, as it were, in which stars flare up when hit by the bulk of cosmic radiation. In this way, we should be able to calculate more accurately the timing and magnitude of the flaring we may experience on our own sun.
If we are lucky, we may get some clues as to what happened at the end of the last great ice age. The ice caps that built up over more than 100,000 years, melted away over a mere 6,000 years, despite being interrupted by the Younger Dryas cooling event, which plunged the planet back into the ice age for a period of 1000 years.
The two stages to the melting fits well with what we know about cosmic rays, which are unevenly distributed along the energy spectrum. There are highly energetic particles that travel at near light speeds, and then there are lower energy particles that travel at lower speeds. A super-wave will therefore produce two flaring events on stars as it moves trough the galaxy, one by the high energy particles that arrive early, and another more prolonged heating by the less energetic particles that arrive later.
If we see two stage flaring on stars close to the center of our galaxy, we will have come a long way in confirming the super-wave theory. It will also go a long way towards explaining the events at the end of the last great ice age, as it will lay out the following timeline:
- Galactic super-wave hit our solar system 16000 years ago
- The first wave of particles peaked 15000 years ago
- The gap in radiation reached a minimum 13000 years ago
- The bulk of lower energy particles reached Earth 12000 years ago
- We are currently basking in the warm afterglow of the super-wave
By United States Geological Survey - https://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/p1386a/gallery2-fig35.html, Public Domain, Link
No comments:
Post a Comment