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Betelgeuse watch

Betelgeuse watch

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Massive star top left of constellation Orion (bottom right if you’re in the southern hemisphere). Could go supernova in our lifetime, maybe even tomorrow. If anyone notices any changes, or if you see it go off please post about it here so we don’t miss out.

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@diver
Lets see, there is much research going on about this one with varying results and forecasts.

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@diver said
Massive star top left of constellation Orion (bottom right if you’re in the southern hemisphere). Could go supernova in our lifetime, maybe even tomorrow. If anyone notices any changes, or if you see it go off please post about it here so we don’t miss out.

https://youtu.be/Kzqy1_vQpoI
If it does eventually go supernova, I daresay the resulting event should be visible for some time.

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@Suzianne said
If it does eventually go supernova, I daresay the resulting event should be visible for some time.
Yes a few months probably.

Would be an amazing privilege to see it.

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@diver Current scientific opinion still points to between tens and hundreds of thousands of years as the star is in a stable helium burning phase. There has been confirmation that Betelgeuse has a Binary companion that explains the six year dimming cycle that has been observed.

The"Soon" theory is based on an assumption that the star is in fact in a core carbon burning phase, however, the issue here is that surface observation can't tell you if that is the case

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@diver said
Yes a few months probably.

Would be an amazing privilege to see it.
Especially considering that on the timeline of the greater cosmos, a human lifetime is a fleeting spark. For one to witness an event of this magnitude, especially considering the tiny window of time we each have, and the immensity of the universe added to the rarity of the event, we can give thanks that such a thing could be revealed while we are able to witness it. It certainly would be amazing.

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@denizil said
@diver Current scientific opinion still points to between tens and hundreds of thousands of years as the star is in a stable helium burning phase. There has been confirmation that Betelgeuse has a Binary companion that explains the six year dimming cycle that has been observed.

The"Soon" theory is based on an assumption that the star is in fact in a core carbon burning phase, however, the issue here is that surface observation can't tell you if that is the case
Kind of like a cosmological lottery, eh?

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@denizil said
@diver Current scientific opinion still points to between tens and hundreds of thousands of years as the star is in a stable helium burning phase. There has been confirmation that Betelgeuse has a Binary companion that explains the six year dimming cycle that has been observed.

The"Soon" theory is based on an assumption that the star is in fact in a core carbon burning phase, however, the issue here is that surface observation can't tell you if that is the case
I find it amazing that several of the heavier elements are only created in a supernova; gold for example.

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@diver Everything, naturally occuring, heavier than iron

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@diver said
Massive star top left of constellation Orion (bottom right if you’re in the southern hemisphere). Could go supernova in our lifetime, maybe even tomorrow. If anyone notices any changes, or if you see it go off please post about it here so we don’t miss out.

https://youtu.be/Kzqy1_vQpoI
It could have already gone nova or supernova. 600 ish light years from Earth it could have already gone nova a hundred years ago and we still won't find out for 500 years.

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betelgeuse betelgeuse betelgeuse

someone had to do it
it's me, i'm someone

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@denizil said
@diver Everything, naturally occuring, heavier than iron
So all the iron in the earth’s massive metallic core and the gold in people’s jewellery was produced in supernovae.

It’s incredible to think it.

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@Suzianne said
Kind of like a cosmological lottery, eh?
This promoted me to see if any of the bookies are offering odds, but can’t find anything.

If anyone can, it would be fun to see what odds you could get for a tenner on it going supernova in the next year.


(Edit: nod to @sonhouse comment that it is 640 light years from earth so it’s already historical in that respect)

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@diver said
This promoted me to see if any of the bookies are offering odds, but can’t find anything.

If anyone can, it would be fun to see what odds you could get for a tenner on it going supernova in the next year.
Hah!

Keep us posted. 🙂

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@diver said
So all the iron in the earth’s massive metallic core and the gold in people’s jewellery was produced in supernovae.

It’s incredible to think it.
It is, and it is true.

Elements are burned in stars for fuel. Fusion reactions, which result in heavier elements. But it can only get up to iron (Fe) due to how the atoms are structured. That's the final straw, and ALL heavier elements (including the radioactive ones that aren't just isotopes of normal elements) have to be fused in a nova or supernova. The gravity of the star becomes overpowered by the repulsion of the atom nuclei and.... BANG! (Or superBANG! I guess)