"So something very unusual is going on,"
***
I suspect that a history report is about due. It had better be something very special. Herman the Kid, Bob Genghis Khan, So-crates Johnson...
Posted on 02/10/2020 10:33:13 PM PST by BenLurkin
Supergiant star Betelgeuse has been getting dimmer at an unprecedented pace over the past few months, leading some astronomers to wonder if it might be in the process of the collapse that precedes a supernova explosion. But there are other possible explanations, and we should have a better idea of what's happening to the massive star by the end of the month.
Betelgeuse has no more than about 100,000 years left to burn and could start its death throes just about anytime between now and then. When it does go supernova, it's expected to result in a dramatic light show that could be visible in daylight and appear brighter than the full moon for a few weeks. The last time humans were treated to such a sight was the 17th century.
…
Betelgeuse is a well-known variable star that pulsates over a variety of time periods.
"This whole episode might just be a deeper-than-average pulsation, and perhaps the supernova watch can be called off,"
The most recent data from Guinan's team shows that Betelgeuse could be going through an extended 430-day pulsation. If this is the case, then it should reach its dimmest point on Feb. 21 (with a margin of error of about a week on either side).
However, Guinan and colleagues note that Betelgeuse still appears to be even dimmer than it should be during such an extended pulsation. This could mean that there are multiple factors at work in the great fainting of the giant star.
"So something very unusual is going on,"
(Excerpt) Read more at cnet.com ...
That's a good question, and I don't know the answer. I do know that we don't want to be anywhere near a Gamma Ray Burst, and 700 light years might be too close for that. A Gamma Ray Burst is kind of like a supernova, except it is more a directional energy burst like a laser rather than a spherical explosion of a supernova.
Oh, year-after-year, too
No mention in the article of the gravity bumps that LIGO and Virgo picked up. My theory is the star just added another layer of element formation. Perhaps it is making silicon in the core now. From what I’ve read about it a huge boost of Neutrinos will happen shortly before it explodes.
Stay with it.
"So something very unusual is going on,"
***
I suspect that a history report is about due. It had better be something very special. Herman the Kid, Bob Genghis Khan, So-crates Johnson...
That was my first thought. The only thing happening in the next few weeks is that we find out what happened centuries ago.
If something is traveling towards you at the speed of light,
you won’t see it coming.
By Betelgeuse going supernova “soon,” they mean 642 years ago. The light we are seeing from this star takes a while to get to us. Good thing, too, because were it 150 light years away or closer, we’d be devastated by such an event.
“Well... we’re waiting !”
It seems like almost every article I read like this leave out the fact that we are only seeing things that happened so long ago. This is actually the 2nd misleading article on star events that I have seen today.
Earlier I read about a repeating radio type signal that was being picked up from someplace 500,000 light years away. The article failed to mention that they are hearing something that was sourced from 500,000 years ago. A lot can change in that amount of time.
🖖
CC
LOL. I don’t think I will lose any sleep over it. 😁
No. That means if we see it explode it happened 700 years ago.
Of the following objects careening through the Universe toward the end of their useful lives, which is the most dangerous to Earth:
A) Betelgeuse
B) Some unknown asteroid
C) Bernie Sanders
D) Joe Biden
DANGER DANGER
That changes everything. In 270 years I could be really old.
Don't ask. Don't tell.
Even if the fish can see the surroundings of it's aquarium, could it ever really grasp the reality of it?
I suspect even the "vastness" of space isn't really vast compared to outside the aquarium.
But if it exploded in 1310 we saw it 10 years ago and I do not remember that.
Unless Betelgeuse is only 470 light years away in which case it might have happened in 1550 and that means IT IS HAPPENING TO US RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW. It is time to panic!!
Do super novas point? I didn't know that. I am going to hide behind a tree for a while.
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