Posted on 01/05/2010 5:34:26 PM PST by Free ThinkerNY
A STAR primed to explode in a blast that could wipe out the Earth was revealed by astronomers yesterday.
It will self-destruct in an explosion called a supernova with the force of 20 billion billion billion megatons of TNT.
New studies show the star, called T Pyxidis, is much closer than previously thought at 3,260 light-years away - a short hop in galactic terms.
So the blast from the thermonuclear explosion could strip away our ozone layer that keeps out deadly space radiation. Life on Earth would then be frazzled.
The doomsday scenario was described yesterday by astronomers from Villanova University, Philadelphia, US.
They said the International Ultraviolet Explorer satellite has shown them that T Pyxidis is really two stars, one called a white dwarf that is sucking in gas and steadily growing. When it reaches a critical mass it will blow itself to pieces.
It will become as bright as all the other stars in the galaxy put together and shine like a beacon halfway across the universe.
The experts said the Hubble space telescope has photographed the star gearing up for its big bang with a series of smaller blasts or "burps", called novas.
(Excerpt) Read more at thesun.co.uk ...
If you play your cards right, they just might hire you as a human shield. Lefties love that job.
“The doomsday scenario was described yesterday by astronomers from Villanova University, Philadelphia, US.”
Isn’t Villanova a catholic school? Don’t they read the Bible at all? Either this supernova is not going to go off, or it will not do anything like what they are saying. The BOOK says that after the fast-approaching 7 years of Tribulation on this old battered planet, there will be the 1000 year reign of Christ, known as The Millennium.
I think I’ll choose to believe The BOOK rather than some apparently unbelieving backslid eggheads.
The problem is that the “poles” where gamma rays are emitted seem to be aligned with the Earth. The article didn’t really explain this. This close to the Earth, and at strengths of other gamma ray bursts that have been observed, this WOULD be bad.
OTOH, this sort of thing doesn’t seem to have happened to the Earth in a very long time - so why should it happen in the next 50 years?
Agreed 3260 light years is a long, long way!
Someone unclear with the concept.
The fact that it is 3260 LY away doesn't mean that we already received the email
It could have happened already 3259 years ago,and we would blissfully ignorant.
Doesn't that suck?
Liberals think our world is a perfect place and only man can screw it up. They can not grasp the concept that we live on a violent and volatile planet that’s in a very violent and volatile galaxy. We’re here just for the ride and we can’t stop nothing catastrophic from happening and that includes climate change.
Now, if I can just get that warp drive thingy going, we'd have a little advanced warning. Didn't Beowulf Shaeffer pull a similar trick when he found out the galactic core exploded some 20,000 years prior to his starting out? Gave the inhabitants of Known Space a little heads-up (they weren't too worried, except the Puppeteers). Of course, he survived decapitation and a shot from an ARM punchgun, so he's a bit more resilient than most.
Heck, I'm gonna cash in my 401K and head for vegas.
3,620 light years away? At the speed of light it will take 3,620 years before it hits us. Don’t know about you but I figure on being looooong gone by then.
Never did understand why Hollywood never made a
Niven novel into a movie
My choice would be the Mote in Gods Eye
Probably too intense. They’d have to water it down so much it would be unrecognizable. Same with making a Bester novel into a movie.
The Crab Nebula was a Type II supernova, dangerous to Earth out to about 8 parsecs. This one will be a more violent Type 1a, dangerous out to about 1,000 parsecs.
Actually, the right kind of supernova that close could pound the earth with high energy radiation for days, week, months, even longer. Every living thing would be dead in a few days, even even bacteria deep underground would be dead.
God can pull the plug on us anytime he wants.
OMG!
IT’S THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT (AND I FEEL FINE)
Neat video and song at youtube :-)
“END OF THE WORLD” - NYT
-”Women and minorities hit hardest.”
A very good choice. Space opera at its finest!
Just got a new Niven novel today ...Building Harlequins Moon
Colaboration with a Brenda Cooper??? Just started it and looks like it going to be filled with lots of characters
and the detail that makes a Niven tale seem to come to life
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.