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What Will Happen When Betelgeuse Explodes?
Forbes ^ | March 22, 2017 | Ethan Siegel

Posted on 03/23/2017 5:44:02 AM PDT by C19fan

Every star will someday run out of fuel in its core, bringing an end to its run as natural source of nuclear fusion in the Universe. While stars like our Sun will fuse hydrogen into helium and then -- swelling into a red giant -- helium into carbon, there are other, more massive stars which can achieve hot enough temperatures to further fuse carbon into even heavier elements. Under those intense conditions, the star will swell into a red supergiant, destined for an eventual supernova after around 100,000 years or so. And the brightest red supergiant in our entire night sky? That's Betelgeuse, which could go supernova at any time.

(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...


TOPICS: Astronomy; Science
KEYWORDS: betelgeuse; stars
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The selfish part of me would enjoy seeing the supernova. Of course, that means future generations will see Orion without one of its shoulders.
1 posted on 03/23/2017 5:44:02 AM PDT by C19fan
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To: C19fan

Democrats will blame Trump.


2 posted on 03/23/2017 5:44:55 AM PDT by SoFloFreeper
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To: C19fan

Just say “Betelgeuse” three times and it will appear....


3 posted on 03/23/2017 5:46:12 AM PDT by nevergore
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To: C19fan

Maybe someone should get algore involved in this.


4 posted on 03/23/2017 5:46:35 AM PDT by rktman (Enlisted in the Navy in '67 to protect folks rights to strip my rights. WTH?!)
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To: SoFloFreeper
Democrats will blame Trump.

As well as the Russians.

5 posted on 03/23/2017 5:48:44 AM PDT by Right Brother
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To: C19fan
"That's why I don't do two shows a night anymore."


6 posted on 03/23/2017 5:48:54 AM PDT by Yo-Yo
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To: C19fan

7 posted on 03/23/2017 5:49:08 AM PDT by DannyTN
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To: nevergore

LOL, beat me to it!


8 posted on 03/23/2017 5:49:13 AM PDT by HombreSecreto (The life of a repo man is always intense)
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To: C19fan

...Betelgeuse, which could go supernova at any time....

Hope it’s not the same day that Yellowstone blows.


9 posted on 03/23/2017 5:49:48 AM PDT by Sasparilla ( I'm Not tired of Winning)
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To: Yo-Yo

Aw you beat me by 14 seconds!


10 posted on 03/23/2017 5:49:57 AM PDT by DannyTN
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To: C19fan
Yes, and it is very close to earth.

Unlike a comet or an asteroid, the initial debris wave's probability of hitting earth can not be programmed into a computer.The only information we can get is its approximate arrival to our solar system, since we know that the debris is thrown out from the supernova at about 10% the speed of light.

It is very dangerous to anything in the neighborhood.

11 posted on 03/23/2017 5:55:53 AM PDT by Bogie
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To: C19fan
It's currently in the final stages of its life -- as a red supergiant -- meaning that when the innermost core begins fusing silicon and sulfur into iron, nickel and cobalt, the star itself will only have minutes left.

"Minutes"?

There will be no such mercy. Once it hits iron, there may not even be five seconds.

12 posted on 03/23/2017 5:57:57 AM PDT by Ciaphas Cain (The choice to be stupid is not a conviction I am obligated to respect.)
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To: C19fan

Betelgeuse has ALREADY exploded.

We just haven’t seen it yet.


13 posted on 03/23/2017 6:00:09 AM PDT by Constitution Day (Never begin a vast project with half-vast ideas.)
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To: C19fan

Betelgeuse is 642.5 light years from Earth. If it exploded right now, we wouldn’t know about it for a while.

On the other hand, if we suddenly see an explosion, it happened round about the time of the Hundred Years’ War.


14 posted on 03/23/2017 6:02:55 AM PDT by COBOL2Java ("Game over, man, game over!" (my advice to DemocRATs))
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To: C19fan

Is this caused by Global Warming?


15 posted on 03/23/2017 6:03:49 AM PDT by Mr. K (***THERE IS NO CONSEQUENCE OF OBAMACARE REPEAL THAT IS WORSE THAN KEEPING IT ONE MORE DAY***)
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To: SoFloFreeper

[Democrats will blame Trump.]

Yup. Esp. his cuts to the EPA.


16 posted on 03/23/2017 6:04:18 AM PDT by ObozoMustGo2012 ("Be quiet... you are #fakenews!")
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To: C19fan

The number of ads and garbage on that website is astounding. No thanks.


17 posted on 03/23/2017 6:07:57 AM PDT by rarestia (Repeal the 17th Amendment and ratify Article the First to give the power back to the people!)
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To: C19fan

“The selfish part of me would enjoy seeing the supernova”

I agree, but that area where it was would be glorious to see through a scope.


18 posted on 03/23/2017 6:13:49 AM PDT by 12th_Monkey (MAGA starting 1/20/2017)
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To: C19fan

Betelgeuse explodes?

YouTube, the National Enquirer and TMZ will cover it, and in reality, it will turn out to be nothing more than PR for her new “Fission - Fusion Tour”


19 posted on 03/23/2017 6:18:16 AM PDT by Strac6 ("We sleep safe in our beds only because rough men stand ready to visit violence on the enemy.")
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To: C19fan

I am guessing there will be betel juice all over and a few drops may even fall on earth.


20 posted on 03/23/2017 6:21:43 AM PDT by libh8er
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