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Galactic
Superwaves
One principal area of research that the Starburst
Foundation is involved with is the investigation of Galactic
superwaves, intense cosmic ray particle barrages that travel
to us from the center of our
Galaxy and that can last for periods of up to several thousand
years. Astronomical and geological evidence indicates that
the last major superwave impacted our solar system around 12,000
to 16,000 years ago and produced abrupt changes of the Earth's
climate. It is estimated that approximately one or two
superwaves strong enough to trigger an ice age are presently
on their way to us from their birth place 23,000 light years
away. There is a finite chance that one such event could
arrive within the next few decades.
Less intense superwaves, which recur with considerable frequency,
could also pose a threat. There is evidence that the Galactic
Center has erupted as many as ten times in the past two millennia,
the most recent event occurring about 700 years ago. While
these low intensity events could have passed unnoticed in earlier
centuries, today they could be extremely hazardous. The
electromagnetic radiation pulse accompanying such a superwave
would be far more intense than any gamma ray pulse we have experienced
in modern times. It could knock out electrical power grids
and communication networks on a global scale and possibly even
inadvertently trigger nuclear missile launchings. Consequently,
study of this phenomenon deserves a very high priority.
Starburst researcher Dr. Paul
LaViolette began alerting the scientific community to the
existence of superwaves in 1983 through his published papers
and scientific conference presentations (see paper
archive). He also raised the public awareness about
the superwave phenomenon through his book Earth
Under Fire as well as through various magazine articles.
Many aspects of Dr. LaViolette's
superwave theory have since been verified by various observations;
see the following list of predictions
and their subsequent verification.
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