Our solar system
lies within the Local
Bubble, a supernova-
generated area largely
free of gas, dust, and
magnetic fields.PHOTO ILLUSTRATION CREATED BY COLIN MCSHERRY USING GETTY IMAGESI
N FEBRUARY 2020, BETELGEUSE, A PROMI-
nent star 642 light-years away in the Orion
constellation, began to dim, suggesting it
was in the throes of death. Astronomers’ tele-
scope observations and computer simulations
revealed the real culprit: a roving dust cloud
that temporarily crossed in front of the star.
When Betelgeuse eventually does run out of fuelDid Ancient
Supernovae
Change the Course
of Life on Earth?
and enters the supernova stage of a star’s life, it will
generate a brilliant display of stellar fireworks in
the night sky.
Astronomers estimate that a handful of stars in
our galaxy go supernova every century. Through-
out Earth’s history, it’s likely some of these stellar
explosions have been close enough to cause cat-
astrophic damage to our planet and, as some
researchers believe, potentially alter the evolu-
tionary trajectory of life. The charge has drawn
skepticism—but has revived a debate about how
susceptible life is to cosmic inf luence.
The explosion of a near-Earth supernova has the22 January/February 2022Space
7
// B Y J E N N I F E R L E M A N //