1 00:00:01,700 --> 00:00:04,500 Narrator: OUR UNIVERSE IS VIOLENT, DEADLY. 2 00:00:04,500 --> 00:00:08,400 COSMIC BOMBS ARE EVERYWHERE. 3 00:00:08,400 --> 00:00:11,533 Dr. Krauss: AND THE MOST CRAZY, INTENSE, VIOLENT EXPLOSIONS 4 00:00:11,533 --> 00:00:14,333 YOU CAN IMAGINE ARE HAPPENING OUT THERE. 5 00:00:14,333 --> 00:00:19,433 Narrator: THE SUN SPITS FLARES MILLIONS OF MILES HIGH. 6 00:00:21,200 --> 00:00:25,700 MAGNETIC MONSTERS RIP WORLDS APART. 7 00:00:25,700 --> 00:00:28,667 GALACTIC FLAMETHROWERS 8 00:00:28,667 --> 00:00:32,833 FIRE GAMMA RAYS HALFWAY ACROSS THE UNIVERSE. 9 00:00:32,833 --> 00:00:35,000 IT'S LIKE A COSMIC BLOWTORCH. 10 00:00:35,000 --> 00:00:38,633 THE ENERGY OF THESE THINGS IS UNIMAGINABLE. 11 00:00:38,633 --> 00:00:42,567 Narrator: MEGA-FLARES LIGHT UP THE UNIVERSE. 12 00:00:42,567 --> 00:00:46,167 THEY ILLUMINATE HIDDEN SECRETS. 13 00:00:47,633 --> 00:00:50,033 THEY'RE ALSO A THREAT. 14 00:00:50,033 --> 00:00:53,467 IF YOU'RE IN THE LINE OF SIGHT, WATCH OUT. 15 00:00:53,467 --> 00:00:56,333 Narrator: OUR PLANET IS UNDER ATTACK 16 00:00:56,333 --> 00:01:00,233 FROM COLOSSAL, COSMIC FIRESTORMS. 17 00:01:01,600 --> 00:01:07,067 DO THESE DEADLY MEGA-FLARES THREATEN LIFE ON EARTH? 18 00:01:08,300 --> 00:01:11,300 -- Captions by VITAC -- www.vitac.com 19 00:01:11,300 --> 00:01:14,300 CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS 20 00:01:32,267 --> 00:01:34,667 AN ORDINARY STAR FIELD, 21 00:01:34,667 --> 00:01:37,800 BUT HOME TO ONE OF THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY STARS 22 00:01:37,800 --> 00:01:39,667 IN OUR GALAXY. 23 00:01:39,667 --> 00:01:44,900 8.7 LIGHT-YEARS FROM EARTH, THIS IS UV CETI. 24 00:01:49,467 --> 00:01:51,600 THIS MYSTERIOUS OBJECT 25 00:01:51,600 --> 00:01:55,700 CAN GROW FIVE TIMES BRIGHTER IN LESS THAN A MINUTE. 26 00:02:03,900 --> 00:02:09,067 ANY PLANET CIRCLING THIS STAR WOULD BE BLASTED BY THE HEAT, 27 00:02:09,067 --> 00:02:12,533 QUICKLY MELTING ITS FROZEN SURFACE. 28 00:02:22,567 --> 00:02:27,400 THEN, JUST SECONDS LATER, THE SUN DIMS. 29 00:02:32,700 --> 00:02:36,333 THE PLANET RETREATS INTO ICY DARKNESS. 30 00:02:40,667 --> 00:02:44,633 BUT UV CETI IS ABOUT TO GO WAY FURTHER. 31 00:02:47,767 --> 00:02:52,633 THE STAR BEGINS TO BRIGHTEN, BUT THIS TIME, IT DOESN'T STOP. 32 00:02:54,233 --> 00:02:57,933 A RUNAWAY INFERNO, IN JUST 20 SECONDS, 33 00:02:57,933 --> 00:03:02,800 IT GETS 75 TIMES BRIGHTER THAN NORMAL. 34 00:03:08,600 --> 00:03:14,333 UV CETI HAS UNLEASHED A MEGA-FLARE... 35 00:03:15,667 --> 00:03:20,600 ...AN IMMENSE EXPLOSION OF ENERGY ON THE STAR'S SURFACE. 36 00:03:26,433 --> 00:03:30,667 IF OUR SUN FIRED OFF A MEGA-FLARE LIKE THIS... 37 00:03:32,233 --> 00:03:34,567 ...WE'D BE TOAST. 38 00:03:36,667 --> 00:03:38,533 IF YOU WERE STANDING ON THE SURFACE OF THE EARTH 39 00:03:38,533 --> 00:03:41,233 AND THE SUN WERE TO GET 75 TIMES BRIGHTER, 40 00:03:41,233 --> 00:03:43,333 EVEN FOR ONLY A MINUTE OR TWO, 41 00:03:43,333 --> 00:03:46,400 IT WOULD REALLY PROBABLY BE THE LAST THING YOU'D EVER SEE. 42 00:03:46,400 --> 00:03:48,833 THE TEMPERATURE ON THE EARTH WOULD RISE UP. 43 00:03:48,833 --> 00:03:52,900 WE'D HAVE HUGE FIRES. IT WOULD JUST BASICALLY COOK EVERYTHING. 44 00:04:00,933 --> 00:04:05,400 Narrator: EARTH IS A LONG WAY FROM UV CETI. 45 00:04:05,400 --> 00:04:09,100 WE'RE SAFE FROM THAT PARTICULAR STAR. 46 00:04:09,100 --> 00:04:11,100 BUT THE MORE STARS WE STUDY... 47 00:04:13,533 --> 00:04:16,233 ...THE MORE FLARES WE FIND. 48 00:04:26,933 --> 00:04:30,167 THEY FIRE IN ALL DIRECTIONS... 49 00:04:32,267 --> 00:04:35,733 ...SOMETIMES, DIRECTLY AT US. 50 00:04:52,367 --> 00:04:57,167 THE CLOSER A STAR IS TO EARTH, THE GREATER THE DANGER. 51 00:04:57,167 --> 00:05:01,933 AND ONE STAR IS WAY CLOSER THAN ALL THE OTHERS. 52 00:05:03,800 --> 00:05:07,267 OUR SUN LOOKS STABLE AND CALM. 53 00:05:10,600 --> 00:05:13,067 BUT BEHIND THE GLARE... 54 00:05:17,067 --> 00:05:19,933 ...THE SUN IS A MONSTER. 55 00:05:24,433 --> 00:05:29,167 SOLAR OBSERVATORIES CAPTURE THE VIOLENCE. 56 00:05:33,067 --> 00:05:36,367 FLARES ERUPT ACROSS ITS SURFACE... 57 00:05:40,600 --> 00:05:45,833 ...GIGANTIC EXPLOSIONS ON AN UNIMAGINABLE SCALE. 58 00:05:45,833 --> 00:05:48,633 Dr. Batalha: ONE FLARE, ONE OF THE MOST ENERGETIC FLARES 59 00:05:48,633 --> 00:05:50,633 ON THE SURFACE OF THE SUN WOULD BE EQUIVALENT 60 00:05:50,633 --> 00:05:54,233 TO OVER 200 MILLION HYDROGEN ATOMIC BOMBS. 61 00:05:56,433 --> 00:05:58,167 IT'S ENOUGH ENERGY 62 00:05:58,167 --> 00:06:02,800 TO POWER THE ENTIRE HUMAN RACE'S ENERGY CONSUMPTION 63 00:06:02,800 --> 00:06:04,900 FOR SOMETHING LIKE 2 MILLION YEARS. 64 00:06:12,833 --> 00:06:15,067 Narrator: EACH FLARE IS AS BRIGHT 65 00:06:15,067 --> 00:06:18,833 AS 400 BILLION TRILLION LIGHT BULBS. 66 00:06:20,667 --> 00:06:22,200 BUT THE VISIBLE LIGHT 67 00:06:22,200 --> 00:06:25,600 IS JUST A FRACTION OF THE ENERGY IT EMITS. 68 00:06:27,700 --> 00:06:30,633 RADIO WAVES... 69 00:06:30,633 --> 00:06:33,133 INFRARED HEAT... 70 00:06:33,133 --> 00:06:35,533 ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT... 71 00:06:35,533 --> 00:06:38,567 EVEN X-RAYS... 72 00:06:40,400 --> 00:06:44,933 ...UNLEASHED IN EVERY FLARE AT INCREDIBLE INTENSITIES. 73 00:06:48,633 --> 00:06:52,100 THESE ARE THE BIGGEST EXPLOSIONS IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM... 74 00:06:59,300 --> 00:07:03,467 ...YET THE FORCE BEHIND THEM IS SIMPLE... 75 00:07:07,467 --> 00:07:09,633 ...MAGNETISM. 76 00:07:15,133 --> 00:07:18,933 THE SUN HAS AN IMMENSE MAGNETIC FIELD. 77 00:07:20,500 --> 00:07:25,600 THE ENERGY STORED IN THIS FIELD POWERS SOLAR FLARES. 78 00:07:31,600 --> 00:07:36,867 VAST LOOPS OF MAGNETIC FORCE PUSH TOWARD THE SURFACE. 79 00:07:41,233 --> 00:07:45,333 HUGE MAGNETIC ARCHES RISE OUT INTO SPACE. 80 00:07:58,600 --> 00:08:01,067 WHEN TWO FIELD LINES CROSS, 81 00:08:01,067 --> 00:08:04,600 IT TRIGGERS A MAGNETIC SHORT CIRCUIT. 82 00:08:06,700 --> 00:08:09,267 THIS IS A SOLAR FLARE. 83 00:08:10,800 --> 00:08:13,833 ALL THE ENERGY TRAPPED IN THE MAGNETIC FIELD 84 00:08:13,833 --> 00:08:17,933 BLASTS OUT AT 100 MILLION DEGREES. 85 00:08:20,300 --> 00:08:22,067 IT CAN HURL HOT GAS 86 00:08:22,067 --> 00:08:24,533 A BILLION MILES OUT INTO SPACE... 87 00:08:30,067 --> 00:08:35,233 ...AN ERUPTION 10 MILLION TIMES MORE POWERFUL THAN A VOLCANO. 88 00:08:46,133 --> 00:08:51,867 MAGNETISM -- THE SAME FORCE THAT POWERS A SIMPLE COMPASS 89 00:08:51,867 --> 00:08:55,700 FUELS THE BIGGEST EXPLOSIONS IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM. 90 00:08:58,967 --> 00:09:03,933 YET BY COSMIC STANDARDS, OUR SUN IS PUNY. 91 00:09:06,633 --> 00:09:10,333 AS WE LOOK OUT INTO SPACE, WE SEE EVEN MORE ACTIVE STARS, 92 00:09:10,333 --> 00:09:12,067 EVEN MORE INTENSE MAGNETISM, 93 00:09:12,067 --> 00:09:14,067 AND THEN THINGS REALLY START TO GET WILD. 94 00:09:21,433 --> 00:09:23,300 Dr. Krauss: THERE ARE STARS AND OBJECTS 95 00:09:23,300 --> 00:09:26,167 IN OUR GALAXY AND IN OTHER GALAXIES 96 00:09:26,167 --> 00:09:28,633 THAT PRODUCE FLARES OF GREAT INTENSITY -- 97 00:09:28,633 --> 00:09:31,400 SO GREAT, THEY WOULD LITERALLY DESTROY ALL LIFE ON EARTH 98 00:09:31,400 --> 00:09:32,800 IF THEY WERE NEARBY. 99 00:09:36,400 --> 00:09:39,367 Narrator: OUTSIDE OUR SOLAR SYSTEM, 100 00:09:39,367 --> 00:09:43,300 TITANIC EXPLOSIONS ROCK THE COSMOS 101 00:09:43,300 --> 00:09:46,900 ON A SCALE WE CAN BARELY IMAGINE. 102 00:09:48,133 --> 00:09:53,267 FAR BEYOND THE SUN, WE ENTER THE REALM OF MEGA-FLARES. 103 00:10:03,333 --> 00:10:06,300 Narrator: OUR SUN IS VIOLENT. 104 00:10:08,133 --> 00:10:12,967 FLARES EXPLODE WITH THE FORCE OF BILLIONS OF ATOMIC BOMBS. 105 00:10:17,467 --> 00:10:20,100 BUT TRAVEL OUT INTO THE COSMOS, 106 00:10:20,100 --> 00:10:23,967 AND THE EXPLOSIONS GET BIGGER. 107 00:10:26,500 --> 00:10:31,700 OTHER STARS HAVE FLARES SO HUGE, THEY'RE PLANET KILLERS. 108 00:10:44,300 --> 00:10:49,200 EV LACERTAE IS 16.5 LIGHT-YEARS FROM EARTH. 109 00:10:57,067 --> 00:11:01,900 EVERY DAY, FLARES ERUPT ON ITS SURFACE. 110 00:11:01,900 --> 00:11:06,267 BUT ONE MEGA-FLARE SMASHED EVERY RECORD. 111 00:11:12,233 --> 00:11:17,233 THE STAR BLASTED OUT 10,000 TIMES MORE X-RAYS 112 00:11:17,233 --> 00:11:21,067 THAN THE SUN'S MOST POWERFUL FLARE. 113 00:11:21,067 --> 00:11:23,900 THE ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT WAS SO INTENSE, 114 00:11:23,900 --> 00:11:26,567 THE STAR TURNED BLUE. 115 00:11:29,300 --> 00:11:33,967 THIS STELLAR FIRESTORM 100 TRILLION MILES AWAY 116 00:11:33,967 --> 00:11:37,633 WAS VISIBLE FROM EARTH WITH THE NAKED EYE. 117 00:11:39,067 --> 00:11:41,467 [ RUMBLING ] 118 00:11:41,467 --> 00:11:46,533 IF OUR SUN FLARED LIKE THIS, WE'D BE INCINERATED. 119 00:11:48,667 --> 00:11:52,567 BUT EV LACERTAE IS A VERY DIFFERENT KIND OF STAR. 120 00:11:57,800 --> 00:12:01,500 COMPARED TO OUR SUN, IT IS TINY. 121 00:12:09,400 --> 00:12:12,533 THIS IS A RED DWARF. 122 00:12:12,533 --> 00:12:15,733 RED DWARFS ARE STARS THAT HAVE MUCH LESS MASS THAN THE SUN. 123 00:12:15,733 --> 00:12:19,067 THEY COULD BE A TENTH TO ABOUT FOUR-TENTHS THE MASS OF THE SUN. 124 00:12:19,067 --> 00:12:22,733 THEY'RE SMALLER. THEY'RE COOLER. THESE ARE DINKY STARS. 125 00:12:30,533 --> 00:12:33,600 Dr. Krauss: THEY BURN SO SLOWLY THAT, UNLIKE OUR SUN, 126 00:12:33,600 --> 00:12:35,233 WHICH WILL LAST 10 BILLION YEARS, 127 00:12:35,233 --> 00:12:37,600 SOME OF THEM WILL LAST 10 TRILLION YEARS. 128 00:12:42,267 --> 00:12:45,500 Narrator: THEY'RE ALSO RELATIVELY COLD. 129 00:12:45,500 --> 00:12:50,300 THEIR SURFACE IS JUST 5,000 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT -- 130 00:12:50,300 --> 00:12:52,933 HALF THE TEMPERATURE OF OUR SUN -- 131 00:12:52,933 --> 00:12:56,233 AND 10,000 TIMES DIMMER. 132 00:12:57,667 --> 00:13:02,433 YET SOMEHOW, THEY'RE CAPABLE OF STAGGERING VIOLENCE. 133 00:13:10,200 --> 00:13:14,900 THAT'S BECAUSE RED DWARFS ARE IMMENSELY MAGNETIC. 134 00:13:14,900 --> 00:13:19,133 THE FIELDS WHICH FORM INSIDE THEM ARE ENORMOUS, 135 00:13:19,133 --> 00:13:21,567 MUCH MORE POWERFUL THAN OUR SUNS. 136 00:13:21,567 --> 00:13:23,867 Dr. Krauss: THAT MEANS THE MAGNETIC-FIELD ENERGY 137 00:13:23,867 --> 00:13:26,933 THAT CAN BE RELEASED WHEN THOSE FIELDS GET TWISTED UP 138 00:13:26,933 --> 00:13:28,433 IS INCREDIBLY INTENSE. 139 00:13:28,433 --> 00:13:31,067 AND EVEN THOUGH THESE OBJECTS ARE VERY DIM IN VISIBLE LIGHT, 140 00:13:31,067 --> 00:13:33,067 THEY CAN PRODUCE FLARES 141 00:13:33,067 --> 00:13:35,167 THAT ARE THOUSANDS OF TIMES MORE ENERGETIC 142 00:13:35,167 --> 00:13:36,867 THAN THOSE RELEASED BY THE SUN. 143 00:13:36,867 --> 00:13:40,067 YOU WOULDN'T WANT TO BE NEAR ONE OF THOSE WHEN IT WENT OFF. 144 00:13:42,233 --> 00:13:47,067 Narrator: ALL RED DWARFS FLARE VIOLENTLY, 145 00:13:47,067 --> 00:13:51,767 BUT EV LACERTAE'S FLARES ARE OFF THE CHART. 146 00:13:51,767 --> 00:13:56,800 THAT'S BECAUSE IT'S YOUNG -- JUST 300 MILLION YEARS OLD... 147 00:13:58,767 --> 00:14:02,500 ...15 TIMES YOUNGER THAN OUR SUN. 148 00:14:03,867 --> 00:14:06,667 Dr. Plait: IN ONE WAY, STARS ARE A LITTLE BIT LIKE PEOPLE. 149 00:14:06,667 --> 00:14:08,900 THEY'RE HOTHEADS WHEN THEY'RE YOUNGER. 150 00:14:08,900 --> 00:14:11,400 WHEN STARS ARE FIRST BORN, THEY'RE SPINNING VERY RAPIDLY, 151 00:14:11,400 --> 00:14:14,567 AND THAT ACTUALLY HELPS GENERATE MAGNETIC FIELDS, AS WELL. 152 00:14:16,833 --> 00:14:18,733 Narrator: THE RESULT -- 153 00:14:18,733 --> 00:14:23,767 A STAR 100 TIMES MORE MAGNETIC THAN THE SUN. 154 00:14:23,767 --> 00:14:29,233 WHEN ITS GIANT LOOPS CROSS, THE MEGA-FLARE IS COLOSSAL... 155 00:14:33,733 --> 00:14:37,700 ...A TORRENT OF RADIATION LASTING 8 HOURS. 156 00:14:46,333 --> 00:14:48,400 BIG FLARES ON OUR SUN 157 00:14:48,400 --> 00:14:53,067 HAVE THE ENERGY OF BILLIONS OF ATOMIC BOMBS. 158 00:14:54,300 --> 00:15:00,467 EV LACERTAE'S MONSTER FLARE WAS 10,000 TIMES MORE POWERFUL. 159 00:15:09,333 --> 00:15:12,967 INCREDIBLY, EVEN THESE MASSIVE FLARES 160 00:15:12,967 --> 00:15:16,167 ARE JUST A FLICKER ON THE COSMIC SCALE. 161 00:15:17,867 --> 00:15:22,167 THERE ARE ERUPTIONS MILLIONS OF TIMES BRIGHTER... 162 00:15:23,800 --> 00:15:28,267 ...EXPLOSIONS THAT CAN LIGHT UP A WHOLE GALAXY... 163 00:15:28,267 --> 00:15:32,633 FROM A TINY STAR WITH UNIMAGINABLE POWER. 164 00:15:42,900 --> 00:15:46,967 Narrator: THIS IS THE AUSTRALIA TELESCOPE COMPACT ARRAY -- 165 00:15:46,967 --> 00:15:49,533 A NETWORK OF FIVE RADIO DISHES 166 00:15:49,533 --> 00:15:52,333 CONSTANTLY LISTENING TO THE COSMOS. 167 00:15:55,933 --> 00:16:01,833 IN 2004, THEY WERE STRUCK BY A MASSIVE BLAST OF ENERGY... 168 00:16:06,567 --> 00:16:09,467 ...EVIDENCE OF A MEGA-FLARE. 169 00:16:12,167 --> 00:16:16,167 BUT THIS WAS BIGGER THAN ANY WE HAD WITNESSED BEFORE... 170 00:16:19,067 --> 00:16:23,800 ...THE LARGEST BURST OF POWER EVER RECORDED FROM OUR GALAXY. 171 00:16:31,367 --> 00:16:35,967 THE OBJECT BEHIND IT IS TRULY BIZARRE -- 172 00:16:35,967 --> 00:16:39,567 A KIND OF STAR WE DIDN'T EVEN KNOW EXISTED 173 00:16:39,567 --> 00:16:42,700 UNTIL A MEGA-FLARE GAVE IT AWAY. 174 00:16:43,867 --> 00:16:46,867 I'VE STUDIED BLACK HOLES. I'VE STUDIED STARS THAT EXPLODE. 175 00:16:46,867 --> 00:16:50,733 I'VE TALKED ABOUT ROGUE PLANETS WANDERING THE GALAXY. 176 00:16:50,733 --> 00:16:55,167 FOR MY MONEY, THE SCARIEST SINGLE OBJECT IN THE GALAXY 177 00:16:55,167 --> 00:16:56,633 IS A MAGNETAR. 178 00:17:02,633 --> 00:17:05,400 Narrator: MAGNETARS ARE THE MOST MAGNETIC OBJECTS 179 00:17:05,400 --> 00:17:06,800 IN THE UNIVERSE. 180 00:17:10,067 --> 00:17:12,967 AND THIS ONE BEATS THEM ALL. 181 00:17:20,967 --> 00:17:22,833 ITS MAGNETIC FIELD 182 00:17:22,833 --> 00:17:27,700 IS 1,000 TRILLION TIMES STRONGER THAN OUR SUN'S. 183 00:17:27,700 --> 00:17:30,533 IF IT CAME NEAR OUR SOLAR SYSTEM, 184 00:17:30,533 --> 00:17:33,733 THE EFFECTS WOULD BE DEVASTATING. 185 00:17:33,733 --> 00:17:36,067 THE FIRST THING YOU WOULD NOTICE IS ITS MAGNETISM 186 00:17:36,067 --> 00:17:38,233 WOULD WIPE EVERY CREDIT CARD IN YOUR POCKET. 187 00:17:38,233 --> 00:17:39,567 AS YOU START TO GET CLOSER, 188 00:17:39,567 --> 00:17:41,300 ANYTHING METAL ON YOU WOULD BE RIPPED AWAY -- 189 00:17:41,300 --> 00:17:42,733 YOUR EARRINGS, YOUR JEWELRY. 190 00:17:42,733 --> 00:17:45,067 ONCE YOU GOT WITHIN A FEW MILLION MILES OF THE MAGNETAR, 191 00:17:45,067 --> 00:17:46,567 ITS MAGNETISM WOULD BE SO INTENSE, 192 00:17:46,567 --> 00:17:48,567 IT WOULD ACTUALLY DISRUPT THE ELECTRICAL SIGNALS 193 00:17:48,567 --> 00:17:50,900 IN YOUR NERVES, AND YOUR HEART WOULD STOP BEATING. 194 00:17:50,900 --> 00:17:53,467 GET EVEN CLOSER, AND THE MAGNETISM WOULD BE SO INTENSE, 195 00:17:53,467 --> 00:17:56,200 IT WOULD RIP APART EVERY ATOM IN YOUR BODY. 196 00:18:04,833 --> 00:18:08,167 Narrator: AMAZINGLY, THIS VAST MAGNETIC FIELD 197 00:18:08,167 --> 00:18:12,233 COMES FROM AN OBJECT NO BIGGER THAN AN ASTEROID. 198 00:18:16,700 --> 00:18:20,500 OUR SUN IS CLOSE TO A MILLION MILES ACROSS. 199 00:18:20,500 --> 00:18:23,933 THE MAGNETAR, JUST 10. 200 00:18:23,933 --> 00:18:26,667 BUT IT'S UNIMAGINABLY DENSE. 201 00:18:33,100 --> 00:18:37,700 IT WEIGHS MORE THAN THE SUN. THIS IS INCREDIBLE. 202 00:18:37,700 --> 00:18:40,400 TAKE THE SUN AND SQUEEZE IT DOWN 203 00:18:40,400 --> 00:18:42,533 NOT JUST TO THE SIZE OF THE EARTH, 204 00:18:42,533 --> 00:18:44,667 BUT DOWN TO THE SIZE OF MANHATTAN. 205 00:18:46,800 --> 00:18:49,800 Narrator: THE ENTIRE MASS OF A GIGANTIC STAR 206 00:18:49,800 --> 00:18:52,833 PACKED INTO A SPACE THE SIZE OF A CITY. 207 00:18:57,400 --> 00:19:00,467 Dr. Krauss: YOU COULD ALMOST WALK AROUND THE STAR IN A DAY, 208 00:19:00,467 --> 00:19:02,667 EXCEPT YOU COULDN'T, BECAUSE THE GRAVITATIONAL FIELD 209 00:19:02,667 --> 00:19:04,067 IS SO INTENSE, 210 00:19:04,067 --> 00:19:07,167 THE DENSITY OF MATERIAL ON THESE STARS IS SO GREAT, 211 00:19:07,167 --> 00:19:09,567 THAT A TEASPOONFUL OF MATERIAL 212 00:19:09,567 --> 00:19:12,133 WEIGHS SEVERAL THOUSAND BILLION TONS. 213 00:19:12,133 --> 00:19:15,567 YOU WOULD BE CRUSHED BEYOND RECOGNITION IN A MOMENT. 214 00:19:20,467 --> 00:19:23,600 Narrator: DENSE AND COMPACTED, THE IRON-RICH CRUST 215 00:19:23,600 --> 00:19:27,633 IS UNDER INCREDIBLE MAGNETIC PRESSURE. 216 00:19:27,633 --> 00:19:30,700 SOMETHING HAS TO GIVE. 217 00:19:35,267 --> 00:19:39,500 FISSURES RIP ACROSS THE SURFACE. 218 00:19:43,667 --> 00:19:46,967 THE CRUST SPLITS OPEN -- 219 00:19:46,967 --> 00:19:49,467 A STARQUAKE. 220 00:19:51,467 --> 00:19:53,233 IT'S LIKE AN EARTHQUAKE ON EARTH, 221 00:19:53,233 --> 00:19:55,600 EXCEPT THE CRUST LITERALLY MOVES A HALF AN INCH. 222 00:19:55,600 --> 00:19:57,167 IT'S JUST A LITTLE, TINY SHIFT, 223 00:19:57,167 --> 00:19:59,067 BUT THAT IS A HUGE AMOUNT OF ENERGY 224 00:19:59,067 --> 00:20:00,967 BECAUSE OF THIS INTENSE GRAVITY. 225 00:20:00,967 --> 00:20:03,533 IT'S LIKE A MAGNITUDE-30 EARTHQUAKE. 226 00:20:08,467 --> 00:20:11,600 Narrator: A FLARE ERUPTS FROM THE FRACTURE. 227 00:20:17,033 --> 00:20:20,267 A TRILLION-TON CLOUD OF ULTRA-DENSE MATTER 228 00:20:20,267 --> 00:20:22,067 BLASTS INTO SPACE. 229 00:20:25,367 --> 00:20:29,167 IT LASTS JUST A TENTH OF A SECOND. 230 00:20:34,733 --> 00:20:37,000 BUT IT UNLEASHES MORE ENERGY 231 00:20:37,000 --> 00:20:41,967 THAN THE SUN EMITS OVER 250,000 YEARS. 232 00:20:44,733 --> 00:20:47,867 Dr. Krauss: THE ENERGY EMITTED WHEN ONE OF THESE FLARES 233 00:20:47,867 --> 00:20:49,633 FROM A MAGNETAR IS RELEASED -- 234 00:20:49,633 --> 00:20:51,333 IN SOME CASES, MORE THAN A BILLION TIMES 235 00:20:51,333 --> 00:20:52,567 THE ENERGY EMITTED BY THE SUN. 236 00:20:58,700 --> 00:21:02,167 Narrator: MEGA-FLARES ARE TIME MACHINES. 237 00:21:02,167 --> 00:21:06,833 THEY SHOW US EVENTS FROM LONG AGO. 238 00:21:06,833 --> 00:21:11,667 THIS MAGNETAR IS 50,000 LIGHT-YEARS FROM EARTH. 239 00:21:11,667 --> 00:21:14,867 THE FLARE WE OBSERVED IN 2004 240 00:21:14,867 --> 00:21:18,800 ACTUALLY HAPPENED 50,000 YEARS AGO. 241 00:21:22,467 --> 00:21:24,333 IT TOOK THAT LONG FOR THE LIGHT 242 00:21:24,333 --> 00:21:27,233 TO TRAVEL HALFWAY ACROSS THE GALAXY 243 00:21:27,233 --> 00:21:30,667 AND SLAM INTO OUR ATMOSPHERE. 244 00:21:38,367 --> 00:21:42,467 IF A SIMILAR MEGA-FLARE EXPLODED NEAR EARTH... 245 00:21:44,133 --> 00:21:46,900 ...WE WOULDN'T EVEN SEE IT COMING. 246 00:21:46,900 --> 00:21:48,733 Dr. Plait: WE WOULD HAVE NO WARNING 247 00:21:48,733 --> 00:21:51,200 IF A MAGNETAR WERE TO HAVE ANOTHER FLARE LIKE THIS. 248 00:21:51,200 --> 00:21:53,133 THE EVENT IS SO SUDDEN ON THE SURFACE 249 00:21:53,133 --> 00:21:54,600 AND IT CREATES SO MUCH ENERGY, 250 00:21:54,600 --> 00:21:56,500 IT BLASTS OUT AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT, 251 00:21:56,500 --> 00:21:58,633 AND NOTHING CAN TRAVEL FASTER THAN LIGHT. 252 00:21:58,633 --> 00:22:02,900 SO, BASICALLY, THIS JUST HAPPENS, AND THAT'S IT. 253 00:22:02,900 --> 00:22:06,833 Narrator: ANY LIFE WITHIN 10 LIGHT-YEARS OF THE BLAST 254 00:22:06,833 --> 00:22:09,367 WOULD BE VAPORIZED. 255 00:22:19,767 --> 00:22:22,767 THANKFULLY, EVEN THE CLOSEST MAGNETAR 256 00:22:22,767 --> 00:22:25,900 IS TOO DISTANT TO THREATEN US. 257 00:22:25,900 --> 00:22:27,667 WE CAN'T SEE THEM, 258 00:22:27,667 --> 00:22:30,867 EVEN WITH THE STRONGEST TELESCOPE. 259 00:22:30,867 --> 00:22:35,767 WE'VE ONLY DETECTED THESE STARS IN THE FLASH OF A MEGA-FLARE. 260 00:22:35,767 --> 00:22:38,467 YET THESE EXPLOSIONS ARE DWARFED 261 00:22:38,467 --> 00:22:42,100 BY AN EVEN MORE POWERFUL MONSTER. 262 00:22:49,800 --> 00:22:53,600 SECOND ONLY TO THE BIG BANG IN SCALE, 263 00:22:53,600 --> 00:22:57,600 THIS IS THE ULTIMATE MEGA-FLARE. 264 00:23:16,100 --> 00:23:19,800 Narrator: 7.5 BILLION YEARS AGO, 265 00:23:19,800 --> 00:23:22,700 MANY GALAXIES AWAY... 266 00:23:27,133 --> 00:23:30,333 ...A SUPERGIANT STAR IS IN TROUBLE. 267 00:23:37,300 --> 00:23:41,233 ITS NUCLEAR CORE HAS RUN OUT OF ENERGY. 268 00:23:43,133 --> 00:23:45,867 IT'S ABOUT TO IMPLODE. 269 00:23:57,400 --> 00:24:01,467 FOR A FEW SECONDS, THE COLOSSAL BLAST SHINES 270 00:24:01,467 --> 00:24:06,467 A MILLION TIMES BRIGHTER THAN OUR ENTIRE GALAXY. 271 00:24:22,867 --> 00:24:27,067 THIS IS THE MOST EXTREME EXPLOSION IN THE UNIVERSE... 272 00:24:29,833 --> 00:24:32,433 ...A GAMMA-RAY BURSTER. 273 00:24:34,633 --> 00:24:36,900 GAMMA-RAY BURSTERS ARE SO POWERFUL 274 00:24:36,900 --> 00:24:41,133 THAT THEY CAN BE SEEN ACROSS THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE, 275 00:24:41,133 --> 00:24:44,267 SECOND ONLY TO CREATION ITSELF. 276 00:24:47,200 --> 00:24:51,200 Narrator: TWO INTENSE JETS OF ENERGY SHOOT OUT. 277 00:24:58,633 --> 00:25:03,867 THESE TWO BEAMS OF GAMMA RAYS ARE THE ULTIMATE MEGA-FLARE. 278 00:25:03,867 --> 00:25:07,100 Dr. Plait: THE ENERGY OF THESE THINGS IS JUST UNIMAGINABLE. 279 00:25:07,100 --> 00:25:08,700 IT'S THE ENTIRE POWER 280 00:25:08,700 --> 00:25:12,100 THAT THE SUN PUTS OUT OVER ITS ENTIRE 10-BILLION-YEAR LIFETIME, 281 00:25:12,100 --> 00:25:14,167 FOCUSED INTO JUST THESE TWO THINGS 282 00:25:14,167 --> 00:25:16,267 THAT LAST FOR MAYBE A FEW SECONDS. 283 00:25:16,267 --> 00:25:19,500 IT'S LIKE A COSMIC BLOWTORCH OF GAMMA RAYS AND MATTER 284 00:25:19,500 --> 00:25:21,367 THAT MARCH ACROSS THE UNIVERSE. 285 00:25:23,067 --> 00:25:25,400 Dr. Thaller: THE MOST HIGH-ENERGY, INTENSE LIGHT 286 00:25:25,400 --> 00:25:26,900 IS GAMMA RAYS. 287 00:25:26,900 --> 00:25:28,500 GAMMA RAYS ARE NATURALLY PRODUCED 288 00:25:28,500 --> 00:25:30,833 BY THINGS THAT ARE BILLIONS OF DEGREES HOT. 289 00:25:33,667 --> 00:25:35,867 THERE WILL NEVER BE A HOTTER TYPE OF FLARE. 290 00:25:35,867 --> 00:25:38,267 THIS IS WHERE IT STOPS. GAMMA RAYS IS IT. 291 00:25:45,700 --> 00:25:47,733 Narrator: 7.5 BILLION YEARS 292 00:25:47,733 --> 00:25:51,900 AFTER THE EXPLOSION ACTUALLY HAPPENED, 293 00:25:51,900 --> 00:25:55,667 WE SEE IT IN OUR SKIES... 294 00:25:55,667 --> 00:25:59,133 MARCH 2008. 295 00:26:02,800 --> 00:26:07,067 A FLARE FROM HALFWAY ACROSS THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE 296 00:26:07,067 --> 00:26:11,067 SHINES EVEN MORE BRIGHTLY THAN THE CLOSEST STAR. 297 00:26:13,167 --> 00:26:16,500 SOMETHING BLEW UP 7 BILLION LIGHT-YEARS AWAY 298 00:26:16,500 --> 00:26:19,733 THAT YOU COULD SEE WITH YOUR UNAIDED EYE ON A DARK NIGHT. 299 00:26:19,733 --> 00:26:21,267 THAT SHOULD TELL YOU SOMETHING. 300 00:26:27,133 --> 00:26:30,900 Narrator: IT IS THE BIGGEST FLARE EVER WITNESSED. 301 00:26:32,833 --> 00:26:37,200 BUT IT IS ALSO A SIGN... 302 00:26:37,200 --> 00:26:40,367 OF THE BIRTH OF THE MOST DESTRUCTIVE ENTITY 303 00:26:40,367 --> 00:26:41,867 IN THE UNIVERSE. 304 00:26:50,167 --> 00:26:52,167 A BLACK HOLE HAS FORMED 305 00:26:52,167 --> 00:26:56,100 IN THE CORE OF THE COLLAPSING STAR. 306 00:26:57,800 --> 00:27:01,933 IT CONSUMES THE STAR FROM THE INSIDE OUT. 307 00:27:11,733 --> 00:27:17,333 WHEN THE STAR FINALLY EXPLODES IN A CATASTROPHIC SUPERNOVA, 308 00:27:17,333 --> 00:27:21,767 ALL THAT REMAINS IS A NEWBORN BLACK HOLE. 309 00:27:25,900 --> 00:27:28,367 USUALLY WHEN WE LOOK IN OUTER SPACE, 310 00:27:28,367 --> 00:27:29,867 WE SEE OLD BLACK HOLES -- 311 00:27:29,867 --> 00:27:32,800 BLACK HOLES THAT HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR MILLIONS OF YEARS. 312 00:27:32,800 --> 00:27:36,167 BUT TO SEE A BABY BLACK HOLE BEING BORN -- 313 00:27:36,167 --> 00:27:38,467 THAT IS AN INCREDIBLE EVENT, 314 00:27:38,467 --> 00:27:40,900 AND THAT'S WHAT WE THINK IS A GAMMA-RAY BURSTER. 315 00:27:43,733 --> 00:27:48,767 Narrator: AMAZINGLY, THESE GIGANTIC EXPLOSIONS ARE COMMON. 316 00:27:54,367 --> 00:27:58,367 WE SEE MORE THAN 350 A YEAR. 317 00:27:59,567 --> 00:28:02,167 Kaku: WE SEE THEM EVERY DAY. 318 00:28:02,167 --> 00:28:04,300 OUR SATELLITES DETECT THEM EVERY FEW HOURS 319 00:28:04,300 --> 00:28:08,533 IN ALL DIRECTIONS OUTSIDE THE MILKY WAY GALAXY. 320 00:28:11,800 --> 00:28:13,933 Narrator: GAMMA-RAY MEGA-FLARES REVEAL 321 00:28:13,933 --> 00:28:17,167 ONE OF THE UNIVERSE'S MOST AWESOME SECRETS -- 322 00:28:17,167 --> 00:28:22,933 A NEW BLACK HOLE IS BORN EVERY SINGLE DAY. 323 00:28:26,067 --> 00:28:30,067 MOST OF THESE EXPLOSIONS HAPPENED A LONG TIME AGO, 324 00:28:30,067 --> 00:28:31,767 FAR AWAY FROM EARTH. 325 00:28:38,633 --> 00:28:42,833 BUT IF ONE WENT OFF INSIDE OUR GALAXY... 326 00:28:47,067 --> 00:28:50,067 ...IT COULD BE CATASTROPHIC. 327 00:28:52,067 --> 00:28:53,567 IF YOU WERE TO PUT A GAMMA-RAY BURST 328 00:28:53,567 --> 00:28:55,067 100 LIGHT-YEARS FROM THE EARTH... 329 00:28:59,533 --> 00:29:02,967 ...IT WOULD BE LIKE IGNITING A ONE-MEGATON NUCLEAR BOMB 330 00:29:02,967 --> 00:29:05,433 OVER EVERY SQUARE MILE OF THE SURFACE 331 00:29:05,433 --> 00:29:07,133 OF THE EARTH FACING THAT EVENT. 332 00:29:15,567 --> 00:29:18,600 YOU WOULD BE BLOWING UP MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS 333 00:29:18,600 --> 00:29:20,133 OVER THE PLANET. 334 00:29:20,133 --> 00:29:24,300 IT WOULD BE THE END OF ALL LIFE ON EARTH AS WE KNOW IT FOREVER. 335 00:29:28,600 --> 00:29:30,533 Narrator: GAMMA-RAY BURSTS 336 00:29:30,533 --> 00:29:34,700 ARE THE MOST POWERFUL MEGA-FLARES IN EXISTENCE, 337 00:29:34,700 --> 00:29:37,800 BUT NOT THE MOST DANGEROUS FOR US. 338 00:29:39,367 --> 00:29:43,800 THE GREATEST THREAT TO EARTH SITS TERRIFYINGLY CLOSE, 339 00:29:43,800 --> 00:29:48,533 RIGHT AT THE HEART OF OUR OWN SOLAR SYSTEM. 340 00:30:04,000 --> 00:30:07,333 Narrator: WE WERE ONCE BLISSFULLY IGNORANT, 341 00:30:07,333 --> 00:30:10,333 SAFE IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM. 342 00:30:13,467 --> 00:30:17,500 NOW WE KNOW EARTH SITS IN A COSMIC FIRING RANGE. 343 00:30:22,833 --> 00:30:26,633 MONSTER MEGA-FLARES ARE EVERYWHERE WE LOOK. 344 00:30:30,800 --> 00:30:33,500 BUT THE DEADLIEST COSMIC WEAPON OF ALL 345 00:30:33,500 --> 00:30:36,533 IS RIGHT ON OUR DOORSTEP... 346 00:30:38,000 --> 00:30:39,633 ...OUR SUN. 347 00:30:47,167 --> 00:30:50,533 WE'RE LULLED INTO THINKING THAT THE SUN IS STATIC, 348 00:30:50,533 --> 00:30:52,933 IT'S BENEVOLENT, AND IS OUR FRIEND. 349 00:30:52,933 --> 00:30:54,067 WRONG. 350 00:30:59,267 --> 00:31:01,067 THE SUN IS DYNAMIC. 351 00:31:01,067 --> 00:31:03,833 IN SOME SENSE, IT'S ALIVE. 352 00:31:03,833 --> 00:31:05,600 IT CREATES MAGNETISM ON A SCALE 353 00:31:05,600 --> 00:31:08,133 THAT WE CAN ONLY BEGIN TO COMPREHEND. 354 00:31:10,700 --> 00:31:15,433 Narrator: AND ITS MOST POWERFUL WEAPON IS THIS -- 355 00:31:15,433 --> 00:31:20,067 A CORONAL MASS EJECTION, OR CME. 356 00:31:21,467 --> 00:31:26,367 A COLOSSAL SOLAR EXPLOSION RIPS A CHUNK OF THE STAR AWAY 357 00:31:26,367 --> 00:31:29,600 AND TORPEDOES IT OUT INTO SPACE. 358 00:31:30,900 --> 00:31:33,467 CORONAL MASS EJECTIONS ARE RELATED TO FLARES, 359 00:31:33,467 --> 00:31:35,067 BUT THEY'RE EVEN LARGER. 360 00:31:35,067 --> 00:31:36,567 YOU CAN SORT OF THINK OF IT 361 00:31:36,567 --> 00:31:38,900 AS A SOLAR FLARE BEING LIKE A TORNADO -- 362 00:31:38,900 --> 00:31:41,333 VERY POWERFUL, VERY INTENSE, VERY SHORT-LIVED. 363 00:31:41,333 --> 00:31:43,967 AND A CORONAL MASS EJECTION IS LIKE A HURRICANE -- 364 00:31:43,967 --> 00:31:47,100 MUCH MORE ENERGY, MUCH BIGGER, AND CAN LAST FOR DAYS AND DAYS. 365 00:31:52,133 --> 00:31:56,500 Narrator: CMEs START WITH A MAGNETIC SHORT CIRCUIT. 366 00:31:56,500 --> 00:32:00,900 MAGNETIC ARCS EMERGE FROM THE SURFACE... 367 00:32:02,733 --> 00:32:06,700 ...GLOWING WITH TRAPPED SOLAR MATTER. 368 00:32:07,933 --> 00:32:12,433 THE LOOPS CROSS, TRIGGERING A FIRESTORM OF ENERGY. 369 00:32:12,433 --> 00:32:15,867 THE SUN ERUPTS. 370 00:32:15,867 --> 00:32:20,600 SOLAR MATTER EXPLODES FROM THE SURFACE OUT INTO SPACE... 371 00:32:21,833 --> 00:32:23,433 ...A MONSTROUS CLOUD 372 00:32:23,433 --> 00:32:27,500 OF SUPER-HOT GAS AND ELECTRIC PARTICLES. 373 00:32:28,633 --> 00:32:32,533 Dr. Krauss: WHEN ONE OF THESE HUGE PROMINENCES IS SHOT OUT, 374 00:32:32,533 --> 00:32:34,933 AN ENERGY EQUIVALENT OF ABOUT 10% 375 00:32:34,933 --> 00:32:37,767 OF THE ENTIRE LUMINOSITY OF THE SUN FOR A SECOND 376 00:32:37,767 --> 00:32:40,067 IS RELEASED TOWARDS THE EARTH. 377 00:32:44,933 --> 00:32:48,533 OVER 10 BILLION TONS OF MATERIAL IS SHOT OUT 378 00:32:48,533 --> 00:32:51,133 AT A SPEED OF OVER A MILLION MILES AN HOUR. 379 00:32:57,100 --> 00:32:59,267 Dr. Plait: THE POWER OF A CORONAL MASS EJECTION 380 00:32:59,267 --> 00:33:01,233 IS SORT OF MIND-NUMBING. 381 00:33:01,233 --> 00:33:04,067 IT TAKES OUR PROBES YEARS TO GET FROM THE EARTH TO THE SUN. 382 00:33:04,067 --> 00:33:05,600 A CORONAL MASS EJECTION 383 00:33:05,600 --> 00:33:07,733 CAN CROSS THAT DISTANCE IN A COUPLE OF DAYS, 384 00:33:07,733 --> 00:33:10,933 SOMETIMES IN ONLY A COUPLE OF HOURS OR EVEN FASTER THAN THAT. 385 00:33:10,933 --> 00:33:14,067 SO THESE ARE TREMENDOUSLY POWERFUL EVENTS. 386 00:33:18,800 --> 00:33:22,867 Narrator: POWERFUL, BUT ALSO DEADLY. 387 00:33:22,867 --> 00:33:26,100 BECAUSE SOMETIMES, THE SUN SHOOTS A CME 388 00:33:26,100 --> 00:33:28,967 STRAIGHT TOWARD THE EARTH. 389 00:33:28,967 --> 00:33:32,100 THE CRACKLING, CHARGED CLOUD 390 00:33:32,100 --> 00:33:34,867 PLAYS HAVOC WITH OUR ELECTRONICS. 391 00:33:34,867 --> 00:33:38,333 IT MELTS POWER GRIDS, BLOWS FUSES, 392 00:33:38,333 --> 00:33:41,133 AND DISRUPTS COMMUNICATIONS. 393 00:33:43,700 --> 00:33:46,633 BUT THAT'S NOTHING COMPARED TO THE DAMAGE 394 00:33:46,633 --> 00:33:49,900 THAT A REALLY BIG CME COULD DO. 395 00:34:00,233 --> 00:34:03,667 Kaku: THEY CAN WIPE OUT SATELLITES, GPS, THE INTERNET. 396 00:34:03,667 --> 00:34:06,067 ALL SORTS OF HAVOC CAN TAKE PLACE 397 00:34:06,067 --> 00:34:10,533 WHEN THIS HUGE TSUNAMI HITS THE EARTH. 398 00:34:15,833 --> 00:34:18,400 Narrator: THE DAMAGE TO SATELLITES ALONE 399 00:34:18,400 --> 00:34:22,700 WOULD TOTAL $100 BILLION. 400 00:34:24,067 --> 00:34:27,433 Kaku: THINK OF A BLACKOUT THAT HITS NOT JUST ONE CITY, 401 00:34:27,433 --> 00:34:32,533 BUT HUNDREDS OF CITIES AROUND THE PLANET EARTH. 402 00:34:37,233 --> 00:34:41,067 PROPERTY DAMAGE WOULD BE ABOUT $2 TRILLION. 403 00:34:41,067 --> 00:34:42,833 WE'RE TALKING ABOUT PERHAPS 404 00:34:42,833 --> 00:34:45,900 A COLLAPSE OF MODERN-DAY CIVILIZATION. 405 00:34:45,900 --> 00:34:49,900 WE CAN BE THROWN BACK PERHAPS 50, 100 YEARS INTO THE PAST 406 00:34:49,900 --> 00:34:52,700 INTO A WORLD WITHOUT ELECTRICITY. 407 00:34:56,600 --> 00:34:59,200 Narrator: BIG SOLAR STORMS ARE RARE. 408 00:35:02,200 --> 00:35:06,067 ON AVERAGE, A MASSIVE CME STRIKES EARTH 409 00:35:06,067 --> 00:35:08,567 EVERY 500 YEARS. 410 00:35:09,800 --> 00:35:12,333 BUT IT'S HAPPENED BEFORE... 411 00:35:12,333 --> 00:35:15,633 AND IT WILL HAPPEN AGAIN. 412 00:35:17,633 --> 00:35:20,600 IN 2003, WE HAD ONE OF THE LARGEST 413 00:35:20,600 --> 00:35:24,333 CORONAL MASS EJECTIONS EVER RECORDED, 414 00:35:24,333 --> 00:35:28,067 BUT FORTUNATELY, IT MISSED THE EARTH. 415 00:35:28,067 --> 00:35:30,600 ONE OF THESE DAYS, IT'S GONNA HIT THE EARTH. 416 00:35:30,600 --> 00:35:32,667 ONE OF THESE DAYS, ONE OF THESE RIFLE BULLETS 417 00:35:32,667 --> 00:35:35,067 WILL BE AIMED RIGHT AT THE EARTH, 418 00:35:35,067 --> 00:35:37,200 AND AT THAT POINT, WATCH OUT. 419 00:35:56,067 --> 00:35:58,633 Narrator: OUR PLANET IS UNDER ATTACK... 420 00:36:01,300 --> 00:36:04,400 ...NOT JUST FROM MEGA-FLARES IN DEEP SPACE... 421 00:36:06,067 --> 00:36:08,833 ...BUT FROM OUR OWN STAR. 422 00:36:13,367 --> 00:36:15,733 THE SUN FIRES BILLIONS OF TONS 423 00:36:15,733 --> 00:36:18,067 OF HOT GAS AND ELECTRIC PARTICLES 424 00:36:18,067 --> 00:36:20,933 INTO SPACE EVERY DAY... 425 00:36:26,767 --> 00:36:30,100 ...DEADLY SOLAR WEAPONS... 426 00:36:32,067 --> 00:36:36,233 ...SOMETIMES POINTING STRAIGHT AT US. 427 00:36:37,467 --> 00:36:39,600 WHAT I FIND AMAZING IS THE FACT 428 00:36:39,600 --> 00:36:42,567 THAT THE EARTH IS IN THE MIDDLE OF A SHOOTING GALLERY. 429 00:36:45,833 --> 00:36:49,767 Narrator: BUT WE HAVE SURVIVED THIS ONSLAUGHT. 430 00:36:51,700 --> 00:36:54,200 WE ARE PROTECTED. 431 00:36:55,433 --> 00:36:58,367 THE EARTH HAS A MAGNETIC FIELD. 432 00:37:01,533 --> 00:37:06,200 IT'S INCREDIBLY WEAK, BUT ENOUGH TO KEEP US SAFE. 433 00:37:08,900 --> 00:37:10,967 Kaku: THINK OF AN ORDINARY MAGNET 434 00:37:10,967 --> 00:37:12,933 THAT YOU USE ON YOUR REFRIGERATOR. 435 00:37:12,933 --> 00:37:16,767 THAT HAS MORE MAGNETISM THAN THE EARTH'S MAGNETIC FIELD. 436 00:37:25,100 --> 00:37:27,733 Narrator: WITHOUT OUR MAGNETIC SHIELD, 437 00:37:27,733 --> 00:37:33,300 EVERY CME WOULD STRIP AWAY EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE, 438 00:37:33,300 --> 00:37:37,967 AND WE'D BE FRIED BY SOLAR RADIATION. 439 00:37:40,133 --> 00:37:43,167 HOW DO WE KNOW? 440 00:37:43,167 --> 00:37:46,867 BECAUSE IT HAPPENED TO ONE OF OUR NEIGHBORS. 441 00:37:46,867 --> 00:37:48,700 Kaku: LOOK AT MARS. 442 00:37:48,700 --> 00:37:51,067 MARS IS AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT HAPPENS 443 00:37:51,067 --> 00:37:53,900 TO A PLANET WITHOUT A MAGNETIC FIELD. 444 00:37:57,233 --> 00:38:00,300 MARS IS A FROZEN DESERT 445 00:38:00,300 --> 00:38:02,067 WITH AN ATMOSPHERE 446 00:38:02,067 --> 00:38:05,800 ONLY 1% THE ATMOSPHERIC DENSITY OF THE EARTH. 447 00:38:08,867 --> 00:38:11,567 IT'S BECAUSE IT LACKS A MAGNETIC FIELD. 448 00:38:16,800 --> 00:38:19,067 Dr. Krauss: OVER BILLIONS OF YEARS, THESE PARTICLES 449 00:38:19,067 --> 00:38:21,733 HAVE ACTUALLY STRIPPED AWAY MARS' AIR, 450 00:38:21,733 --> 00:38:25,633 AND THAT'S WHY IT HAS A VERY THIN ATMOSPHERE NOW. 451 00:38:26,767 --> 00:38:30,300 HERE ON EARTH, WE HAVE A MAGNETIC FIELD, AND WE HAVE AIR. 452 00:38:30,300 --> 00:38:32,200 THIS IS NOT A COINCIDENCE. 453 00:38:32,200 --> 00:38:36,400 SO WE CAN BREATHE BECAUSE OF OUR MAGNETIC FIELD. 454 00:38:39,767 --> 00:38:42,067 Narrator: FROM EARTH'S SURFACE, 455 00:38:42,067 --> 00:38:46,367 SAFE BENEATH OUR MAGNETIC UMBRELLA, 456 00:38:46,367 --> 00:38:49,233 WE SEE THE POWER OF OUR VIOLENT SUN 457 00:38:49,233 --> 00:38:52,500 IN THE NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN LIGHTS. 458 00:38:58,467 --> 00:39:02,967 TRILLIONS UPON TRILLIONS OF ELECTRIC PARTICLES 459 00:39:02,967 --> 00:39:05,933 STRIKE THE EARTH EVERY SECOND. 460 00:39:05,933 --> 00:39:10,200 THE MAGNETIC SHIELD FUNNELS THEM TO THE POLES. 461 00:39:11,767 --> 00:39:16,267 THEY ENERGIZE GAS MOLECULES IN OUR ATMOSPHERE, 462 00:39:16,267 --> 00:39:19,667 MAKING THEM GLOW -- 463 00:39:19,667 --> 00:39:22,900 A CHEMICAL LIGHT SHOW. 464 00:39:24,400 --> 00:39:28,433 OXYGEN SHINES GREEN. 465 00:39:28,433 --> 00:39:32,167 NITROGEN, BLUE OR RED. 466 00:39:35,533 --> 00:39:40,467 THE AURORAE ARE EVIDENCE OF A BATTLE BETWEEN MAGNETIC FIELDS. 467 00:39:41,567 --> 00:39:45,133 THE SUN'S FIELD CREATES CMEs. 468 00:39:45,133 --> 00:39:48,267 EARTH'S FIELD SHIELDS US FROM THEM. 469 00:39:54,267 --> 00:39:58,367 MAGNETISM IS NATURE'S MOST MYSTERIOUS FORCE. 470 00:40:01,500 --> 00:40:04,033 ONLY NOW ARE WE BEGINNING TO UNDERSTAND 471 00:40:04,033 --> 00:40:06,833 HOW IT SHAPES THE COSMOS. 472 00:40:10,767 --> 00:40:14,967 MEGA-FLARES MAKE MAGNETISM VISIBLE. 473 00:40:14,967 --> 00:40:16,367 THEY SHINE A LIGHT 474 00:40:16,367 --> 00:40:19,967 ON THE INCREDIBLE POWER OF MAGNETIC FIELDS... 475 00:40:22,567 --> 00:40:24,967 ...FIELDS THAT PLAY A FUNDAMENTAL ROLE 476 00:40:24,967 --> 00:40:26,833 IN THE UNIVERSE. 477 00:40:26,833 --> 00:40:29,567 THEY IMPOSE ORDER ON CHAOS. 478 00:40:34,300 --> 00:40:35,867 THEY WEAVE THEIR WAY 479 00:40:35,867 --> 00:40:39,567 THROUGH THE SPIRAL SHAPES OF GALAXIES... 480 00:40:42,967 --> 00:40:46,967 ...FIELDS HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF LIGHT-YEARS ACROSS, 481 00:40:46,967 --> 00:40:51,867 YET 100,000 TIMES WEAKER THAN EARTH'S. 482 00:40:53,567 --> 00:40:58,100 SMALLER MAGNETIC FIELDS EXIST INSIDE GALAXIES. 483 00:41:00,600 --> 00:41:04,567 THEY ORGANIZE MATTER INTO CLOUDS OF MOLECULES -- 484 00:41:04,567 --> 00:41:07,633 SPECTACULAR NEBULAE. 485 00:41:10,533 --> 00:41:15,200 THESE STELLAR NURSERIES ARE WHERE NEW STARS ARE BORN. 486 00:41:17,533 --> 00:41:20,433 NOW WE'VE DISCOVERED MAGNETIC FIELDS 487 00:41:20,433 --> 00:41:23,967 EVEN PERMEATE EMPTY SPACE... 488 00:41:26,867 --> 00:41:29,400 ...FIELDS CREATED IN THE BIG BANG 489 00:41:29,400 --> 00:41:33,767 WITH JUST ONE QUADRILLIONTH THE STRENGTH OF EARTH'S. 490 00:41:34,867 --> 00:41:38,667 THIS IS A MAGNETIC UNIVERSE. 491 00:41:40,333 --> 00:41:42,133 Dr. Krauss: WHAT'S AMAZING IS THIS THING 492 00:41:42,133 --> 00:41:44,467 THAT'S INVISIBLE -- MAGNETIC FIELDS -- 493 00:41:44,467 --> 00:41:48,067 PLAY SUCH AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN EVERY ASPECT OF THE UNIVERSE, 494 00:41:48,067 --> 00:41:51,067 PROTECTING US FROM THE RADIATION FROM THE SUN 495 00:41:51,067 --> 00:41:53,200 TO EXPLOSIONS AND RED DWARFS, TO MAGNETARS, 496 00:41:53,200 --> 00:41:56,700 AND TO THE MOST ENERGETIC, VIOLENT PROCESSES 497 00:41:56,700 --> 00:41:59,200 IN THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE -- GAMMA-RAY BURSTS. 498 00:41:59,200 --> 00:42:02,700 MAGNETISM PLAYS A ROLE ON EVERY SCALE OF THE UNIVERSE, 499 00:42:02,700 --> 00:42:05,100 CHANGING THE DYNAMICS OF OBJECTS 500 00:42:05,100 --> 00:42:09,067 AND MAKING THE UNIVERSE A VIOLENT AND INTERESTING PLACE. 501 00:42:11,167 --> 00:42:14,933 Narrator: MEGA-FLARES LIGHT UP THE COSMOS. 502 00:42:14,933 --> 00:42:19,133 THEY SHOW US THINGS WE CAN'T OTHERWISE SEE 503 00:42:19,133 --> 00:42:22,200 FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE UNIVERSE... 504 00:42:24,100 --> 00:42:27,567 ...OR FROM BILLIONS OF YEARS IN THE PAST. 505 00:42:27,567 --> 00:42:31,233 A BLACK HOLE IS BORN. 506 00:42:32,600 --> 00:42:36,100 A STAR DIES. 507 00:42:40,600 --> 00:42:44,800 DISTANT EVENTS AND HIDDEN MYSTERIES. 508 00:42:48,633 --> 00:42:53,133 IN A FLASH, FLARES REVEAL THEM... 509 00:42:55,600 --> 00:43:00,767 ...ILLUMINATING THE AWESOME SECRETS OF THE UNIVERSE.