Betelgeuse to Nova

[Aero]

Interesting article at:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32204171/ns ... ence-space
It seems that the star Betelgeuse is expected to go Nova soon, in astronomical time. Guesstimates are from Zero to 10,000 years.
How far away is Betelgeuse anyway? It is a visible star so we will see it when it Novas, will we feel the heat, too? Radiation?

[pfrit]

How far away is Betelgeuse anyway?

640 lightyears

It is a visible star so we will see it when it Novas, will we feel the heat, too? Radiation?

Short answer is no. Could it cause a statistically significant, though small, rise in cancer rates? Doubtful, but possible.

[KitemanSA]

How far away is Betelgeuse anyway?

640 lightyears

It is a visible star so we will see it when it Novas, will we feel the heat, too? Radiation?

Short answer is no. Could it cause a statistically significant, though small, rise in cancer rates? Doubtful, but possible.

Assuming that it doesn't prove to be one of those oddballs the supernovas when theory says it should only nova.

[Aero]

Maybe it will cause global warming

[chrismb]

Maybe it will cause global warming

Surely the wrong way around - man made global warming will have caused the nova???

[MSimon]

*

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3C7DECI0jU

*

A Supernova song.

[pfrit]

Assuming that it doesn't prove to be one of those oddballs the supernovas when theory says it should only nova.

Actually, it will go supernova. It is just too far away and not pointed at us. You would be able to read a newspaper at night with it.

[EricF]

Did they really name a star after this guy?

[IntLibber]

Did they really name a star after this guy?

Other way around.

[KitemanSA]

Assuming that it doesn't prove to be one of those oddballs the supernovas when theory says it should only nova.

Actually, it will go supernova. It is just too far away and not pointed at us. You would be able to read a newspaper at night with it.

What happens a thousand or so years later when the shock front reaches us?

[pfrit]

Assuming that it doesn't prove to be one of those oddballs the supernovas when theory says it should only nova.

Actually, it will go supernova. It is just too far away and not pointed at us. You would be able to read a newspaper at night with it.

What happens a thousand or so years later when the shock front reaches us?

We stand protected by the square-cube law. And the solar wind. And the earth's magnetic field. And the power of positive thinking.

[KitemanSA]

We stand protected by the square-cube law. And the solar wind. And the earth's magnetic field. And the power of positive thinking.

I guess if we think negatively we will attract all those high speed ions. Hmm?

[Skipjack]

Isnt there a chance for one of those gamma ray bursts? If one of those hits us from comparably nearby, we are toast.

[pfrit]

Isnt there a chance for one of those gamma ray bursts? If one of those hits us from comparably nearby, we are toast.

Close is ~25 lightyears. If we were looking right at one of the stars poles, close could be as much as 1000~ lightyears. We aren't on Betelguise's pole. We aren't close. Before anyone says "But what if its axis changed and it pointed at us!!!", that really can't happen either. The law of conservation of angular momentum save us there. Really, it would be a very cool light show and thats about it. Much brighter than the crab nebula's supernova. Daytime shadows might even be possible. Might be dangerous to look directly at. I don't know if the pupil is large enough to focus the star at that distance.

[MSimon]

Isnt there a chance for one of those gamma ray bursts? If one of those hits us from comparably nearby, we are toast.

Close is ~25 lightyears. If we were looking right at one of the stars poles, close could be as much as 1000~ lightyears. We aren't on Betelguise's pole. We aren't close. Before anyone says "But what if its axis changed and it pointed at us!!!", that really can't happen either. The law of conservation of angular momentum save us there. Really, it would be a very cool light show and thats about it. Much brighter than the crab nebula's supernova. Daytime shadows might even be possible. Might be dangerous to look directly at. I don't know if the pupil is large enough to focus the star at that distance.

Perhaps the teacher could do it.