Safest Place in the Galaxy?
Figure: Earth’s magnetic sphere dispersing solar charged particles
Where is the safest place in our Milky Galaxy, you say? Apparently the farthest from the centre of the black hole and right within it! As universe continues to expand ever so slightly in light-years (1 light-year = 9 trillion Kilometres) being on the fringe at the edge helps one to be safer from supernovae explosion, DNA shredding gamma ray bursts, high-energy spewing charged particles traveling at light speed and earth incinerating radiations. Intriguingly centre of the galaxy harbouring a giant black hole, good luck passing through the space bending event horizon, also presumed to be a peaceful quite, serene place to be for living beings.
Earth’s Defence System: Magnetosphere
Our magnetosphere, a dynamic and interconnected system, responds to the conditions of the solar, planetary, and interstellar. It all begins deep within the Earth, where electrically charged molten iron churns within the planet’s outer core, generating a magnetic field of such magnitude that it extends far into the reaches of space. On the side of Earth facing the Sun, where the magnetic field is compressed by the relentless onslaught of the solar wind, the magnetosphere extends some six to ten times the radius of our planet. On the nightside, facing away from the Sun, it stretches out into an immense magnetotail, fluctuating in length and measuring hundreds of Earth radii, extending far beyond the Moon’s orbit at sixty Earth radii. Such is the wonder of our world.
Figure: Earth’ core
It may come as a surprise that even our own Earth is not situated in the most ideal location for life to flourish within the vast expanse of the Milky Way. Yet, we are close. Recent research has discovered that life would have the greatest chance of thriving on a planet or moon orbiting near the center of our galaxy, where for the past 11 billion years, there have been the fewest supernovas, gamma ray bursts, and other celestial monstrosities. The scientists even speculate that it was perhaps due to Earth’s position on the edge of the galaxy that a certain gamma-ray burst may have caused the second worst mass extinction ever known. Such is the wonder and mystery of our universe.
Our planet is exposed to a multitude of dangers: killer radiation, gamma-ray bursts, freezing molecular clouds, and the ever-present threat of comets and asteroids. Life on Earth has teetered on the brink of annihilation several times - a fate that pales in comparison to that of our neighbor, Mars. Such is the perilous nature of our existence in this vast and unpredictable universe.
Compared to a galactic expanse of Milky Way our solar system pales pretty paltry in size, mass and energy. So to survive and evolve, as far as we know, to be only living being in a habitable zone should not deter us from exploring the edge of the universe. Apparently while searching for alien races we don’t want to become the only living alien on the galaxy.
Figure: Solar System in Milky Way Galaxy
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