Pacific Ocean sediments hint at supernova explosion 10 mn yrs ago
A sharp rise in beryllium-10 detected in Pacific Ocean sediments suggests a supernova exploded about 10 million years ago. Beryllium-10, a radioactive isotope, forms when cosmic rays hit Earth. Scientists used ESA's Gaia data, and their analysis shows a 68% likelihood that a supernova occurred within 326 light-years around the time of the beryllium-10 spike, altering Earth's cosmic surroundings.