Let’s start with the blow-your-pants-off scary one.
This is a star.
This is a bigger star.
So big, in fact, that when it reaches the end of its life cycle, it will collapse into a black hole.
The black hole part isn’t scary though. It will probably fizzle out and die before it reaches us.
However, the thing that the black hole emits is scary.
See, the black hole spins particles around it so fast that the particles start to emit energy.
And when that energy is concentrated enough, it cumulates into a beam, firing off into space in random directions.
Oh, did I tell you that these rays travel at the speed of light, are made out of Gamma Rays, and have the force of a hundred million stars?
And they could vaporize anything they touch?
And they could hit Earth at any time?
Still with me? Wow, you’re brave.
Now, let’s go smaller.
This is one of the many representations of an atom.
There’s a little quantum field that gives the particles that make up this atom, such as quarks and leptons, a little thing called mass.
Kinda important, no?
Now, the thing about these quantum fields is that they want to be at the lowest energy levels. Most of them are.
However, the little field that gives everything mass is believed to be metastable.
Think of it as being on a hammock. You think you’re stable, but your annoying little brother named John comes and pushes you off.
So, the Higgs Field, y’know, the field that gives the building blocks of the universe mass and allows them to be reacted with, is believed to be metastable.
And if by any chance it is pushed to true stability, a circle of death and destruction would expand in all directions at the speed of light, destroying everything it touches.
Nothing holds up to it.
Everything you know could be destroyed in a flash, and you wouldn’t know any better.
It’s quite terrifying.