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Astroquizzical: What happens when Betelgeuse explodes?
Starts with a Bang! ^
| February 24, 2015
| Jillian Scudder
Posted on 02/25/2015 6:57:23 AM PST by C19fan
Question: If Betelgeuse explodes right now, could we see it with naked eye? It is over 400 light years away, so you might think that people would see it long after it actually happens? Betelgeuse is already one of the brightest stars in the night sky, sitting somewhere around the 8th or 9th brightest star in the night sky. (These lists dont include the Sun, which is somewhat obviously always the brightest object in the sky.) It sits in the constellation Orion, along with a number of other bright stars, and makes up the left hand shoulder of the warrior. It looks visibly orange in the night sky, and is classified as a red supergiant star, in the later stages of its life. Its also one of the few stars thats close enough for us to resolve in more detail than a point source, and the pictures are pretty fun.
(Excerpt) Read more at medium.com ...
TOPICS: Astronomy; Science
KEYWORDS: alphaorionis; betelgeuse; nova; orion; redgiant; redsupergiant; super; supernova; yadaljawza
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1
posted on
02/25/2015 6:57:23 AM PST
by
C19fan
To: C19fan
Exactly how do you mean “we?” People here, now, today?
2
posted on
02/25/2015 6:58:53 AM PST
by
Gaffer
To: C19fan
I don’t know. An angel gets its wings?
3
posted on
02/25/2015 7:00:37 AM PST
by
Texas Eagle
(If it wasn't for double-standards, Liberals would have no standards at all -- Texas Eagle)
To: C19fan
"Say that two more times."
4
posted on
02/25/2015 7:01:58 AM PST
by
UCANSEE2
(Lost my tagline on Flight MH370. Sorry for the inconvenience.)
To: C19fan
I’m worried about how I’m going to pay this month’s bills. I’ll lose sleep over the potential explosion of Betelguse later.
5
posted on
02/25/2015 7:02:32 AM PST
by
Texas Eagle
(If it wasn't for double-standards, Liberals would have no standards at all -- Texas Eagle)
To: C19fan
I would guess that anyone near it would get Betelguts all over them.
6
posted on
02/25/2015 7:02:48 AM PST
by
Blood of Tyrants
(True followers of Christ emulate Christ. True followers of Mohammed emulate Mohammed.)
To: C19fan
7
posted on
02/25/2015 7:03:26 AM PST
by
ShadowAce
(Linux -- The Ultimate Windows Service Pack)
To: C19fan
Interesting factoid. Our modest Sun would be invisible to the naked
human eye from the vicinity of Beta Orionis (same star, less ridiculous and Michael Keaton-invoking name).
In fact, that horizon is only about fifty light years out, a very small distance, relatively speaking.
8
posted on
02/25/2015 7:04:46 AM PST
by
Prospero
(Si Deus trucido mihi, ego etiam fides Deus.)
To: C19fan
God will buy a new blender and keep on creating.
9
posted on
02/25/2015 7:05:26 AM PST
by
married21
( As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.)
To: C19fan
It gets beetle juice all over the place.
10
posted on
02/25/2015 7:08:15 AM PST
by
cripplecreek
("For by wise guidance you can wage your war")
To: C19fan
To: C19fan
Was this written by a third grader?
To: C19fan
It's a VERY big boy!
13
posted on
02/25/2015 7:19:16 AM PST
by
JPG
(The GOPe will always find a way to surrender)
To: C19fan
14
posted on
02/25/2015 7:20:13 AM PST
by
Jack Hydrazine
(Pubbies = national collectivists; Dems = international collectivists; We need a second party!)
To: Jack Hydrazine
Oh I don’t know. Uhura sang about Antares.
15
posted on
02/25/2015 7:25:13 AM PST
by
xp38
To: C19fan
It exploded 399 years ago, stick around a few years and watch it when it gets here.
16
posted on
02/25/2015 7:27:07 AM PST
by
opbuzz
(Right way, wrong way, Marine way)
To: C19fan
You should worry more about Klingons on Uranus
(sorry... i had to)
17
posted on
02/25/2015 7:29:33 AM PST
by
Mr. K
(Palin/Cruz 2016 (for 16 years of conservative bliss))
To: C19fan
What happens is that we first get a big burst of Neutrinos (those detectors are gonna go wild...as far as neutrino detectors can go wild ).
It might get as bright as the article says and it will probably stay bright for a while, then Orion won’t look the same any more.
At a guess, the gas clouds in the area (Barnard’s loop and the like) will get blown away.
I’m waiting for Eta Carina to go myself. That could happen tomorrow for all we know.
18
posted on
02/25/2015 7:32:39 AM PST
by
Conan the Librarian
(The Best in Life is to crush my enemies, see them driven before me, and the Dewey Decimal System)
To: C19fan
The big worry is if Betelgeuse does explode and we finally see the supernova explosion, it could be accompanied by a HUGE burst of potentially deadly radiation--especially gamma rays. And that right there will essentially eliminate all life on Earth not living deep underground, effectively resetting the life cycle of evolution (one wonders if the massive die-off in life around 250 million years ago was caused by a nearby star exploding and showering the Earth's surface with deadly gamma rays).
19
posted on
02/25/2015 7:35:45 AM PST
by
RayChuang88
(FairTax: America's economic cure)
To: C19fan
That's when Ford Prefect starts singing the Betelgeuse Death Anthem.
Zaglabor astragard! Hootrimansion Bambriar! ......
20
posted on
02/25/2015 7:39:17 AM PST
by
uglybiker
(nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-BATMAN!)
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