What Supernova Distance Would Trigger Mass Extinction?

Thank you to Brilliant for Supporting PBS. To learn more go to PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: Sign Up on Patreon to get access to the Space Time Discord! The deaths of massive stars results in one of the most beautiful and violent events in the universe: the supernova. They are so luminous we can see them here on Earth and historical records show that we can even see them into the day. But supernovas release deadly and violent radiation that could destroy our atmosphere. So how far away do these supernova have to be for humanity to be safe? And when will the next supernova occur Check out the Space Time Merch Store Sign up for the mailing list to get episode notifications and hear special announcements! Search the Entire Space Time Library Here: Hosted by Matt O’Dowd Written by Matt O’Dowd Post Production by Leonardo Scholzer, Yago Ballarini, Adriano Leal & Stephanie Faria Directed by Andrew Kornhaber Associate Producer: Bahar Gholipour Executive Producers: Eric Brown & Andrew Kornhaber Executive in Charge for PBS: Maribel Lopez Director of Programming for PBS: Gabrielle Ewing Assistant Director of Programming for PBS: John Campbell Spacetime is produced by Kornhaber Brown for PBS Digital Studios. This program is produced by Kornhaber Brown, which is solely responsible for its content. © 2023 PBS. All rights reserved. End Credits Music by . Schattenberg: Space Time Was Made Possible In Part By: Big Bang Supporters Bryce Fort Peter Barrett David Neumann Sean Maddox Alexander Tamas Morgan Hough Juan Benet Vinnie Falco Fabrice Eap Mark Rosenthal Quasar Supporters Vivaan Vaka Glenn Sugden Alex Kern Ethan Cohen Stephen Wilcox Christina Oegren Mark Heising Hypernova Supporters Stephen Spidle Chris Webb Ivari Tölp Zachary Wilson Kenneth See Gregory Forfa Kirk Honour Joe Moreira Bradley Voorhees Marc Armstrong Scott Gorlick Paul Stehr-Green Ben Delo Scott Gray Антон Кочков Robert Ilardi John R. Slavik Mathew Donal Botkin John Pollock Edmund Fokschaner Chuck Zegar Jordan Young Daniel Muzquiz Gamma Ray Burst Supporters Jakub Jasinski Piotr Sarnicki Matthew Oldfield Massimiliano Pala Thomas Nielson Joe Pavlovic Ryan McGaughy Chuck Lukaszewski Edward Hodapp Andrea Galvagni Jerry Thomas Nikhil Sharma Ryan Moser John Anderson David Giltinan Scott Hannum Bradley Ulis Craig Falls Kane Holbrook Ross Story teng guo Mason Dillon Matt Langford Harsh Khandhadia Thomas Tarler Susan Albee Frank Walker Matt Quinn Michael Lev Terje Vold James Trimmier Andre Stechert Paul Wood Kent Durham Ramon Nogueira Ellis Hall John H. Austin, Jr. Faraz Khan Almog Cohen Alex Edwards Daniel Jennings Cameron Sampson Jeremy Reed David Johnston Michael Barton Andrew Mann Isaac Suttell Bleys Goodson Robert Walter Mark Delagasse Mark Daniel Cohen Nickolas Andrew Freeman Shane Calimlim Tybie Fitzhugh Eric Kiebler Craig Stonaha Graydon Goss Frederic Simon John Robinson Jim Hudson David Barnholdt David Neal John Funai Bradley Jenkins Vlad Shipulin Cody Brumfield Thomas Dougherty King Zeckendorff Dan Warren Patrick Sutton John Griffith Dean Faulk