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Betelgeuse to go supernova?

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    #2
    shedweller
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,029 ✭✭✭shedweller


    Imagine how bright it could be? this lad seems to think it could be somewhere between a full moon and the sun!
    http://www.astronomycafe.net/qadir/ask/a11146.html
    If it happened about 520 years ago, then today we would see it flare up in a matter of hours by about 1 billion times its present brightness. It is a star of the 1st magnitude, and for each 100-fold brightness increase you gain 5 magnitudes, so Betelgeuse would be a star of magnitude -20 or so. The Full Moon is -18 and the sun is -26 so it would be almost as bright as the sun!!
    :eek::eek:
    Cameras ready, prepare to flash!:D


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    #3
    toastedpickles
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,607 ✭✭✭toastedpickles


    shedweller wrote: »
    Imagine how bright it could be? this lad seems to think it could be somewhere between a full moon and the sun!
    http://www.astronomycafe.net/qadir/ask/a11146.html

    :eek::eek:
    Cameras ready, prepare to flash!:D

    I knowww!!! :D


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    #4
    hidinginthebush
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,679 ✭✭✭hidinginthebush


    It was mentioned in the "wonders of the solar syatem" tv show (or maybe the universe one? ). Anyway, yes it seems it could go at "any minute", which, unfortunately, on a cosmic scale, could be any time in the next 100000 years or so. It would be spectacular to see though!


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    #5
    toastedpickles
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,607 ✭✭✭toastedpickles


    hidinginthebush wrote: »
    It was mentioned in the "wonders of the solar syatem" tv show (or maybe the universe one? ). Anyway, yes it seems it could go at "any minute", which, unfortunately, on a cosmic scale, could be any time in the next 100000 years or so. It would be spectacular to see though!

    It would be pretty awesome alright, I was telling a few friends and they couldnt care less, but hey their loss


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    #6
    hidinginthebush
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,679 ✭✭✭hidinginthebush


    toastedpickles wrote: »

    It would be pretty awesome alright, I was telling a few friends and they couldnt care less, but hey their loss

    They'll care quick enough when there's a second sun blazing in the sky for a few weeks!


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    #7
    shedweller
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,029 ✭✭✭shedweller


    hidinginthebush wrote: »
    They'll care quick enough when there's a second sun blazing in the sky for a few weeks!
    They'd have it on, like, instagram and stuff! omg!!!!!!!!!


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    #8
    Rhys Essien
    Registered Users Posts: 3,029 ✭✭✭Rhys Essien


    hidinginthebush wrote: »
    They'll care quick enough when there's a second sun blazing in the sky for a few weeks!

    +1.

    The question is...Will we have 24 hours of brightness/light for a few weeks???.


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    #9
    hidinginthebush
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,679 ✭✭✭hidinginthebush


    Rhys Essien wrote: »

    +1.

    The question is...Will we have 24 hours of brightness/light for a few weeks???.

    Interesting article on it here:
    http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/question.php?number=49
    When the crab nebula went in 1054 it was visible for 23 days during the day! And that was 6500 light years away, whereas betleguise is 642 light years away, it could be visible for quite some time.

    Edit: all this talk is making me really impatient for it to happen!


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    #10
    TaosHum
    Registered Users Posts: 1,746 ✭✭✭TaosHum


    Is it only Super giants that have the ability to go nova, while stars like our own Sun just regress into a white dwarf?


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    #11
    hidinginthebush
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,679 ✭✭✭hidinginthebush


    TaosHum wrote: »
    Is it only Super giants that have the ability to go nova, while stars like our own Sun just regress into a white dwarf?

    Good picture here on the life cycle of stars
    http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/stars/lifecycle/

    But in short, yep. Only the big ones go suoernova.


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    #12
    mickmackey1
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 3,288 ✭✭✭mickmackey1


    hidinginthebush wrote: »
    When the crab nebula went in 1054 it was visible for 23 days during the day!

    Strange that there are no European records of that event.


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    #13
    hidinginthebush
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,679 ✭✭✭hidinginthebush


    mickmackey1 wrote: »

    Strange that there are no European records of that event.

    I know! You'd think there'd be a ton of art / religious hysteria attached to it that we'd have heard about.


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    #14
    mickmackey1
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 3,288 ✭✭✭mickmackey1


    hidinginthebush wrote: »
    I know! You'd think there'd be a ton of art / religious hysteria attached to it that we'd have heard about.

    Yes it's weird because there are plenty of references to the 1006 supernova, Halley's comet in 1066 and various other phenomena...


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    #15
    hidinginthebush
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,679 ✭✭✭hidinginthebush


    mickmackey1 wrote: »

    Yes it's weird because there are plenty of references to the 1006 supernova, Halley's comet in 1066 and various other phenomena...

    A quick Google threw up this
    http://messier.seds.org/more/m001_sn.html
    Seems it was 4 times brighter than venus at its best, and while visible during the day, it was largely seen as a new star, nothing more. So it appears astronomers back in 1054 had their heads screwed on.


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    #16
    Capt'n Midnight
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 90,725 Mod ✭✭✭✭Capt'n Midnight


    http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/01/23/betelgeuse_collision_course/
    The European Space Agency's Herschel telescope has snapped a new image of Betelgeuse, which sits just above and to the left of the Orion constellation in the visible night sky, showing an obstacle in the path of the brightly shining sun.
    ...
    If the bar is a completely separate object, Betelgeuse's outer arc will crash into it in just 5,000 years and the red star itself will follow, around 12,500 years later.

    The supergiant is expected to approach supernova within the next million years


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    #17
    AlmightyCushion
    Moderators, Education Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 35,046 Mod ✭✭✭✭AlmightyCushion


    hidinginthebush wrote: »
    Edit: all this talk is making me really impatient for it to happen!

    Same here. Shouldn't be much longer now. *looks at watch*


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    #18
    ZeRoY
    Registered Users Posts: 959 ✭✭✭ZeRoY


    An excellent program I just watched is the recent BBC HD Documentary "Seven Ages of Starlight" which covers red Giant to White dwarves and Black holes. The most up-to-date research is used in there, its fascinating, I highly recommend it!


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    #19
    The_B_Man
    Registered Users Posts: 7,859 ✭✭✭The_B_Man


    Is that Betelguese in the sky, as I'm looking south? I can see Jupiter high above slightly to the West and then a big red star a lot lower in the sky further away to the south.

    EDIT: Or is that Uranus?


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    #20
    Zubeneschamali
    Registered Users Posts: 16,686 ✭✭✭✭Zubeneschamali


    Definitely not Uranus.


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    #21
    Myrddin
    Closed Accounts Posts: 33,733 ✭✭✭✭Myrddin


    ZeRoY wrote: »
    An excellent program I just watched is the recent BBC HD Documentary "Seven Ages of Starlight" which covers red Giant to White dwarves and Black holes. The most up-to-date research is used in there, its fascinating, I highly recommend it!

    Cool, its on YT will def give this a watch :)


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    #22
    ciaranmac
    Registered Users Posts: 495 ✭✭ciaranmac


    The_B_Man wrote: »
    Is that Betelguese in the sky, as I'm looking south? I can see Jupiter high above slightly to the West and then a big red star a lot lower in the sky further away to the south.

    EDIT: Or is that Uranus?

    You'll see a red star close to Jupiter which is Aldebaran, and there is a loose cluster of dimmer stars nearby which are the Hyades. Further away and to the south as you mention is where you'll find Betelgeuse. It's brighter and redder than Adebaran, but you'll know for sure when you see three blue stars (bright but not as bright as Betelgeuse) in a row below it. These are Orion's belt.

    Uranus is barely visible to the naked eye.


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    #23
    Justin1982
    Closed Accounts Posts: 328 ✭✭Justin1982


    Isnt Beutelgeuse puffing across the sky like a train? As in its leaving a huge gas trail as it sheds while moving across its path of movement. Obviously can only be seen in photos taken by the most powerful of observations available to professional astronomers.
    There was a really good BBC documentary about the results within the last two years I remember seeing.
    Not sure if its on youtube or if anyone can find it?

    Astrophysicists are ignorant enough still to not be able to predict with any great precission how long it will be before it goes Supernovae.
    Any predictions of between 0 and 1 million years are probably ball park as well. But if you see the best resolution pictures of Beutelgeuse then it can be clearly seen that Beutelgeuse doesnt look in any way stable. Its no longer sperical. Its like a badly rolled up ball of plastercine. And there is huge temperature differences across the surface of the star. Its actually a wonder that it hasnt exploded already.

    Just looking at the limited number of pictures available and considering how ignorant physicists really are, I wouldnt bet on it lasting too long.


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    #24
    Myrddin
    Closed Accounts Posts: 33,733 ✭✭✭✭Myrddin


    Justin1982 wrote: »
    Its actually a wonder that it hasnt exploded already

    Maybe it has & we don't know yet because the light from it is only en route to us :p


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    #25
    the culture of deference
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 2,196 ✭✭✭the culture of deference


    EnterNow wrote: »
    Maybe it has & we don't know yet because the light from it is only en route to us :p

    I have always been fascinated by Orion since the 1970's. I love the fact that one of the stars (Alnilam) in the belt is the same distance away from the other two as they are from us.

    That's the beauty about all our knowledge isn't it. Betelgeuse could have went Nova 300 years ago. Its like watching QI and being told the setting sun is not there, it's a mirage.



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    #26
    Capt'n Midnight
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 90,725 Mod ✭✭✭✭Capt'n Midnight


    the culture of deference wrote: »
    That's the beauty about all our knowledge isn't it. Betelgeuse could have went Nova 300 years ago. Its like watching QI and being told the setting sun is not there, it's a mirage.
    Well you are only seeing where the sun was 8 minutes ago ;)


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    #27
    Windy Fjordian
    Registered Users Posts: 4 ✭Windy Fjordian


    mickmackey1 wrote: »
    Strange that there are no European records of that event.

    The Catholic Church probably burned at the stake anyone who had an opinion on it.


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    #28
    mickmackey1
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 3,288 ✭✭✭mickmackey1


    Windy Fjordian wrote: »
    The Catholic Church probably burned at the stake anyone who had an opinion on it.

    So why are there records of the 1006 event?

    Mod: Please keep it civil folks.


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    #29
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    The_B_Man wrote: »
    Is that Betelguese in the sky, as I'm looking south? I can see Jupiter high above slightly to the West and then a big red star a lot lower in the sky further away to the south.

    Theres a very nice free PC programme called Stellarium which lets you identify the stars.


    EDIT: to avoid confusion re my use of the word PC above. My version of Stellarium is linux. I dont know if there is a windows version available.


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    #30
    3ndahalfof6
    Registered Users Posts: 5,184 ✭✭✭3ndahalfof6


    Deleted User wrote: »
    Theres a very nice free PC programme called Stellarium which lets you identify the stars.

    Do you know does it fight with any other software that might be on your system, I seem to go for it and install, only to find out there is an inwar software issue.


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    #31
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    3ndahalfof6 wrote: »
    Do you know does it fight with any other software that might be on your system, I seem to go for it and install, only to find out there is an inwar software issue.

    Works perfectly for me. I use it on a netbook running linux mint.


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