Kilnova Space Explosion Could End Life On Earth. But There's No Need To Panic, Scientists Say

Scientists reassured that there is no need to panic as Kilonova is considered to be a rare occurrence.

In a recent study, scientists in the United States have worked out how close a neutron star collision would have to be to threaten all life on Earth. The event, known as kilonova, is among the most powerful and explosive in the known universe. According to Space.com, scientists explained that this celestial event may pose a serious threat to our planet primarily due to the release of lethal radiation such as gamma rays, cosmic rays and x-rays during these cosmic occurrences. 

"We found that if a neutron star merger were to occur within around 36 light-years of Earth, the resulting radiation could cause an extinction-level event," Haille Perkins, team leader and a scientist at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, told Space.com. 

The team of researchers explained that the powerful collision of ultra-dense neutron stars creates a particle blast that would decimate our planet's ozone layer and make it vulnerable to ultraviolet radiation for the next 1,000 years. Of all the lethal particles tested, the scientists determined that cosmic rays may pose the most viable concern. They explained that the collision in space would instigate the formation of an expanding cosmic ray bubble, enveloping everything in its trajectory and unleashing a barrage of highly energetic, charged particles onto the Earth.