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Betelgeuse to be second sun for Earth as supernova turns night into day | Mail Online

OpenMind;1351817 wrote: Betelgeuse to be second sun for Earth as supernova turns night into day | Mail Online


Man, oh, man...that will be sooooo thrilling to see! Thanks for posting this info OpenMind:-6

Were I to open the link, it would not be with any expectation of writing a date into my diary or checking my watch against the Greenwich time signal.

Thanks for the info!

That will be pretty amazing to see.

Of course "anytime in the next million years", I may not not be able to stick around for the show.

Maybe if we're all good corpses God will permit us a two or three week furlough so we can watch? If we begin the process of asking now, he may see his way to doing it within a million years, accounting for the hard-ass nature he tends to exhibit every now and again.

How do they predict when it's going to happen, given Betelgeuse is 640 light years away ? That means if it exploded 40 years ago we wouldnt experience it for 600 years. Odd that the Daily Mail thinks it's imminent, not that its well known for its journalistic accuracy

Snowfire;1351891 wrote: How do they predict when it's going to happen, given Betelgeuse is 640 light years away ? That means if it exploded 40 years ago we wouldnt experience it for 600 years. Odd that the Daily Mail thinks it's imminent, not that its well known for its journalistic accuracy


They (scientists, not the Mail) have seen a few, now, so they can guess the behavior pattern. Of course, since there is a 640 year lag in the visuals, it's hard to tell, and they haven't actually seen one this close before. that means this can be a great opportunity for the scientist to study it relatively up close.

It could have happened 639 years 11 months and 29 days ago, for all we know.

Might wanna keep you shades handy when you go out at night.

Scary thing is in the past they have found evidence of these events that theoretically have put off enough radiation to sterilize whole galactic neighborhoods. Thank God it's not happening tomorrow.

Scrat;1351998 wrote: Scary thing is in the past they have found evidence of these events that theoretically have put off enough radiation to sterilize whole galactic neighborhoods. Thank God it's not happening tomorrow.


It's a good reason to spread Earth-life beyond the confines of a single solar system as soon as possible though.

spot;1352000 wrote: It's a good reason to spread Earth-life beyond the confines of a single solar system as soon as possible though.


I've packed my bag. I've a preference for a Na'vi inhabited planet if there's a choice

This is another article on the same subject that takes a different perspective.

DON'T PANIC! Betelgeuse Won't Explode in 2012 : Discovery News

The only argument in this issue that I would take issue with is that our scientiest would be basing their calculations on what they are seeing now. This makes the distance of Betelgeuse irrelevant as far as predicting a supernova. I'm sure the scientists are fully aware of how far away it is.

Great information, OM. I am going out tonight to look for BG, to say goodbye just in case it leaves without me knowing it. In which part of the heavens should I look? Buh bye, Betelgeuse.

ZAP;1352014 wrote: Great information, OM. I am going out tonight to look for BG, to say goodbye just in case it leaves without me knowing it. In which part of the heavens should I look? Buh bye, Betelgeuse.


Try Sky above 47°N 7°E at Tue 2011 Jan 25 21:07

Enter your position and it will show you the sky as you would see it if you're at the centre of the chart.

For me, Orion is low in the sky to the south standing on his head - BG is his left shoulder so bottom right as I see him.

Bryn Mawr;1352017 wrote: Try Sky above 47°N 7°E at Tue 2011 Jan 25 21:07

Enter your position and it will show you the sky as you would see it if you're at the centre of the chart.

For me, Orion is low in the sky to the south standing on his head - BG is his left shoulder so bottom right as I see him.


I believe you should see him with his legs to the south, and Betelguese to your left and towards the north sky. bottom right would be Rigel

If you looked now, I suspect you would see his belt and sword sheath near the southwestern horizon.

Bryn Mawr;1352017 wrote: Try Sky above 47°N 7°E at Tue 2011 Jan 25 21:07

Enter your position and it will show you the sky as you would see it if you're at the centre of the chart.

For me, Orion is low in the sky to the south standing on his head - BG is his left shoulder so bottom right as I see him.


Thank you so much. I saw him--he looks reddish-orange. Thrilling devil isn't he?

LarsMac;1352044 wrote: I believe you should see him with his legs to the south, and Betelguese to your left and towards the north sky. bottom right would be Rigel

If you looked now, I suspect you would see his belt and sword sheath near the southwestern horizon.


Cool! Thanks, LM. Is Rigel sort of bluish? Or maybe that's a satellite and the one higher up is Rigel.

LarsMac;1352044 wrote: I believe you should see him with his legs to the south, and Betelguese to your left and towards the north sky. bottom right would be Rigel

If you looked now, I suspect you would see his belt and sword sheath near the southwestern horizon.


Oops - far too much cloud to check and I flipped the map

Bryn Mawr;1352091 wrote: Oops - far too much cloud to check and I flipped the map


Thank goodness for that, I thought I'd gone doolally.

:yh_rotfl:yh_rotfl