Mass Extinction May Have Been Caused By Near-Earth Supernova

This montage features images of five different objects, ranging from a distant galaxy to a relatively close supernova remnant. Each image contains X-rays from Chandra along with data from other telescopes that detect different types of light. These images were released to commemorate the start of the International Year of Light 2015, a year-long celebration declared by the United Nations. These images illustrate how astronomers use different types of light together to get a more complete view of objects in space.

Supernovas are known to be capable of sterilizing a planet if they go off within about 25 light-years. Earth may have had a brush with one or more such events about 360 million years ago.