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Why could supernovae near the Milky Way’s center be dangerous to life?

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Habitable zone The habitable zones (green) for stars that are like the Sun (middle), hotter than the Sun (top), and cooler than the Sun (bottom). The red areas are those in which liquid surface water would be lost as a result of a runaway greenhouse effect, and the blue areas are those in which liquid surface water would be completely frozen.

In the context of the galactic habitable zone, the center of the Milky Way Galaxy is considered potentially dangerous to life because stars are packed much more closely together there than in the outer spiral arms where the Sun is located.

Due to this high stellar density, supernovae—the violent explosions of dying stars—occur more frequently in the galactic center. These events pose a significant hazard to life because they release intense bursts of radiation, which can be lethal to organisms and cause severe damage to biological systems. Consequently, the increased frequency of these energetic events makes the central region of the galaxy less hospitable for the long-term development and survival of complex life compared to regions with lower stellar densities.12