Supernovas are among the most violent events in the known universe, possessing frightening amounts of power leaving marks back here on Earth in an unlikely location. 

Research led by the University of Colorado Boulder has found evidence that energy from these massive explosions, which can release as much energy as the Sun’s entire life in a few months, has left traces in our planet’s biology and geology.

Using tree ring data, the team searched for distinctive fingerprints of these explosions which occur thousands of light-years from Earth. From these findings it has been determined that at least four supernovas could have been the triggers for four periods of climate-change on Earth in the past 40,000 years. 

Tree rings can offer information on weather patterns, the age of a tree, and now a glimpse into the past. The presence of a rare radioactive isotope of carbon has opened a door to ancient supernova events

Although a nearby supernova would destroy life on Earth, even those far away send dangerous amounts of radiation our way which damages the planet’s ozone layer.

How did the team link four events to Earth’s climate? One particular atom called carbon-14. This atom is extremely rare on Earth and forms only when cosmic rays hit our atmosphere. Since trees absorb carbon from the atmosphere, analysing its concentration inside tree rings has uncovered distinct events.

This finding lends credibility to a theory suggesting an ancient supernova prompted the mass extinction event which ended the Devonian Period 359 million years ago.

Good news for all us leaf crunchers and lovers of the magical autumn season, based on current weather forecasts and recent weather patterns, word from the National Trust is that they predict a "..spectacular and prolonged" display of autumn colour!

Of course nothing is guaranteed, and despite the arrival of Storm Alex (incidently a weather system named by Météo-France) at the beginning of October, current UK weather patterns do look positive. Traditionally, there are a number of factors that influence the duration and intensity of the autumnal colours, one of these is reported to be prolonged spells of sunshine, of which I think we can all agree we have been blessed with many before the autumn season. 

Despite this years very dry spring which led to some stress to the nations trees, especially Ash, making them more susceptible to disease, the National Trust confirmed "...a classic summer weather with good levels of both sunshine and rain has given trees the best chance of staying in leaf and retaining their full crowns until temperatures start to drop and colour starts to develop."

The National Trust also confirmed "...whilst the sunny conditions this summer have helped to increase the trees leaf sugar content, which results in leaves turning vivid red, orange, gold and brown at this time of year, ideally the weather will need to remain favourable through the first half of October for a memorable display, with sunshine during the day, cold conditions at night and no intense storms or rainfall”...