Astronomer warns of physics experiment that could destroy our entire galaxy

“We would never know what hit us.”

Collateral damage

If you ever have a bad day, remember that we could suddenly be squeezed out by the science experiment of an advanced alien civilization gone bad.

This is according to former Harvard astronomy president Avi Loeb – known for insisting that various space phenomena are evidence of extraterrestrial life – that written in a new American scientist editorial that a gigantic and advanced particle accelerator could create an explosion of dark energy capable of burning everything in the galaxy at the speed of light. If we are to survive, he said, we would engage in interstellar diplomacy as soon as possible.

“One way to avoid such a cosmic catastrophe is to establish an interstellar treaty, similar to the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, first signed in 1963 by the governments of the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and the United States, ”Loeb wrote. .

Distant threat

Of course, that’s probably not a pressing concern. Aside from the fact that there is no evidence of alien life in any form, let alone a super-advanced civilization capable of building such a device, it’s also unclear how or when we would conclude a diplomatic pact with such a device.

Loeb also describes an explosion caused by a theoretical particle accelerator that theoretical aliens would need to build on a scale larger than the size of our entire solar system. So, to be clear, this is all completely hypothetical.

Don’t blink

But if such a device had to be built inside our galaxy and be turned on, it vsould would energize a “soap bubble” of dark energy that would expand and destroy everything in its path in a wave of cosmic destruction, much like the titular weapon in the “Halo” video game series.

“Would such a heat wave be cause for concern?” Loeb wrote. “The bad news is that we would not receive any warning until this cosmic catastrophe hits us in the face because no warning signal can travel faster than light to alert us to risk.”

“But maybe that’s also good news,” Loeb added, “because it implies that any resulting devastation would happen instantly and be as surprising as the Chicxulub impactor was to the dinosaurs. We would never know what hit us.

READ MORE: How to avoid a cosmic catastrophe [Scientific American]

Learn more about Avi Loeb: Avi Loeb and the great stranger

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