Giant hydrogen cloud on collision course with Milky Way!
I do not care for doomsday scenarios and those who spread panic by exaggerating dangers (ahem, George Bush) but I must say with sober confidence that impending doom awaits our fragile galaxy. Smith’s Cloud contains enough hydrogen to create a million Suns and is on course to collide with our galaxy “at an angle of 45 degrees”.
From the expert:
“It will be just like letting a bomb go off,” said Dr Felix Lockman from the US National Radio Astronomy Observatory.
The shockwaves will set off a tremendous burst of star formation. These stars will be massive, rushing through their lives quickly and exploding as supernova.
The monster cosmic “fog bank” is careering towards our galaxy at more than 240km/s (150 miles/s) and is set to strike the Milky Way at an angle of 45 degrees.
Given the death cloud’s current cosmic velocity it is set to impact the outer edges of the Milky Way in 20 to 40 millions years.
I have started preparing today by stockpiling bottled water and duct tape. I suggest you do the same.