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.
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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 ...
I thought this was about Bernie. NM.
Only.
Will it kill the corona virus?
It is a nitpick. We all know the facts of interstellar distances. It’s just convenient shorthand to say “it could explode any day now” rather than the more awkward “the explosion could have happened such that its light could be arriving any day now”.
And BTW (nitpick alert) it’s 640 light years away, not 700.
E) All of the above.
So, anytime between 700 years ago and 100,000 years from now something might happen.
Where can I get a job where someone else pays me to set around and study crap thats never gonna happen or if it does it wont have any effect on humanity or it will be so massively catastrophic there wont be anything you can do about it?
Im good at that kinda crap!
642.5 light years, says Wikipedia.
Good, one layer of protection via theory. Do we know, as a second layer, the orientation of its poles well enough to say it wouldn’t ‘be pointed at us if the first theory were wrong? That much angular momentum is very unlikely to change its aim.
Good, one layer of protection via theory. Do we know, as a second layer, the orientation of its poles well enough to say it wouldn’t ‘be pointed at us if the first theory were wrong? That much angular momentum is very unlikely to change its aim.
Seriously? Let’s see if I can explain it this way... Okay, Steven Wright is a comedian. He tells jokes.
Well, they have been able to get details of Betelgeuse’s surface using speckle interferometry, and one of the brighter spots is thought to be its pole. This is off center, so not pointed at us. But I doubt Betelgeuse is about to supernova anyway. I’ve heard another theory that it may have absorbed another star as it expanded into a supergiant, and still has plenty of fuel for another few million years. But you can never really be sure.
Yes. It could have exploded 699 years ago and we will see it next year.
Interesting idea. If true it has about 6 months until the silicon-burning phase, and then boom. If SN1987A was any indication, the neutrino front precedes the light curve by 2 to 3 hours.
It's like waiting for Ross and Rachel. :^)
The rest of the Betelgeuse keyword:
I won’t hold my breath.
Hope springs eternal....
The only interesting character in that show, imo.
Lol We’ll find out I guess.
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