Posted on 01/21/2011 1:20:10 PM PST by markomalley
This is just an - albeit sloppy - way of saying that, for a short time, the inhabitants of Earth would have the impression that there was not merely one, but rather TWO Suns (two very bright, Sun-like bodies) in the sky - our actual Sun, and a second celestial body brighter than even the full Moon.
By the way: To those who complain about or mock the imprecision of the prediction that Betelgeuse could "go nova" either before 2012 or sometime in the next couple of million years: That was most assuredly the (stupid) formulation of the journalist, who was looking for a sensational headline.
Regards,
Yeah... like there was ever a time in history when it wasn't like that!
Regards,
Bloody Sam Roberts, the kind of star that doesn't go supernova is our own yellow dwarf-type Sun "Sol" right here in the Solar System.
... so declares observational astrophysics, anyway. No sense betting against them if they're wrong, I think.
It’s impossible for anybody to have witnessed the event occur as it happened, that far away, as it would destroy everything humans understand about physics. Though it would confirm that certain events do travel faster than light itself.
Cosmic shockwave? I figure that would dissipate long before reaching this solar system.
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