Posted on 03/11/2020 6:44:59 AM PDT by BenLurkin
The problem with Polaris is that no one can agree on how big or distant it is.
Astrophysicists have a few ways to calculate the mass, age and distance of a star like Polaris. One method is a stellar evolution model...Researchers can study the brightness, color and rate of pulsation of the star and use that data to figure out how big and bright it is and what stage of life it's in.
These models are especially precise for cepheids, because their rate of pulsing is directly related to their luminosity, or brightness. That makes it easy to calculate the distance to any of these stars.
But there are other ways to study Polaris, and those methods don't agree with the stellar evolution models.
Researchers [have] seen enough of the companion star in recent years to have a pretty detailed picture of what the orbit looks like. With that information, you can apply Newton's laws of gravity to measure the masses of the two stars... That information, combined with new Hubble Space Telescope "parallax" measurements — another way to calculate the distance to the star — lead to very precise numbers on Polaris's mass and distance. Those measurements say it's about 3.45 times the mass of the sun, give or take 0.75 solar masses.
That's way less than the mass you get from stellar evolution models, which suggest a value of about seven times the mass of the sun.
This star system is weird in other ways. Calculations of the age of Polaris B suggest that the star is much older than its bigger sibling, which is unusual for a binary system. Typically, the two stars are about the same age.
(Excerpt) Read more at livescience.com ...
What? Are you series? You mean the science on Polaris isn’t even settled yet? What about the climate on Polaris? Is there a concensus on that?
So how would Schumer tie this to POTUS’s incompetence with the Corona virus?
As long as we can see it and it guides our sailors... We’ll be fine.
I think it’s odd that they are confused by a binary systems with different age stars.
While it may be that many or ever most binaries get created at the same time it is far from unusual to think that some don’t.
It may be that binary star systems may form in other ways.
Interesting.
The other starry thing going on is the brightness and dimming of Betelgeuse, the upper left shoulder of Orion. There was recent speculation regarding its dimming that it was about to go super-nova. It’s now brightening again.
Maybe it just did go supernova. We'll know in another 500 million years or so.
We will be seeing the Polarisvirus soon that will doom the planet.
Calling a new revelation, that is an improvement over your level of ignorance, “strange” merely announces you were previously more ignorant than you are today; but what you have discovered is not really “strange”, just new information.
Sometimes I think some scientists or science writers are still children - they got more knowledge over the years but have never-satisfied childhoods.
The climate is quite hot, I am sure.
As long as I can do a polar alignment with my scope, who cares....
I agree. Whatever you do with your scope in the privacy of your own home is nobody’s business.
There is nothing strange about the star, and nothing weird. Man’s inability to formulate theories that explain everything is the basis of the problem. Keep trying.
Bonus question: Should Polarians be given preferential immigration status?
All I know is that the former Minnesota North Stars have been sucking a lot lately.
“Maybe [Betelgeuse] just did go supernova. We’ll know in another 500 million years or so.” [Bloody Sam Roberts, post 9]
Humanity won’t have to wait nearly so long.
Estimates of the distance from Earth to Betelgeuse range from a bit over 400 light years to more than 650 light years.
Distance estimates from Earth to Polaris vary from about 320 light years to more than 430 light years.
Glad to see my suspicions supported...
Anyone who was paying attention to Farrakhan’s “Million Man Math” would be led to the same conclusion...
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