A new study examined the possible effects of X-rays on planets within a certain distance from a supernova explosion. Data from Chandra and other telescopes suggest that planets within a radius of about 160 light-years may be exposed to an intense wave of X-ray radiation that can significantly damage their atmospheres. This artist’s illustration shows such an impacted planet in the foreground and with a second panel showing the planet as it goes supernova months or years after the explosion (visible in the background) after being bombarded with X-rays. closed The study shows that the regions in the Milky Way galaxy that we know would be conducive to life will be smaller.

Using data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and other telescopes, astronomers have discovered a new threat to life on planets like Earth: a stage where intense X-ray radiation from exploding stars can affect planets 100 light-years away. This result has implications for the study of exoplanets and their habitability.

This newly discovered threat comes from a supernova blast wave hitting the dense gas surrounding the exploding star, as shown in the upper right corner of our artist’s image. When this effect occurs, it can produce large doses of X-rays that reach the Earth-like planet (shown below left, illuminated by the main star on the right) months or years after the explosion and persist for decades. Such an intense impact could trigger planetary extinction.

A new study reporting on this threat based mostly on X-ray observations of 31 supernovae and beyond from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, Swift and NuSTAR missions, and ESA’s XMM-Newton, shows that planets may be exposed. lethal dose of radiation from about 160 light-years away. Until now, most studies of the effects of supernova explosions have focused on the dangers of two eras: the intense radiation the supernova produces in the days and months after the explosion, and the energetic particles that arrive hundreds or thousands of years later.