Betelgeuse

bdewoody · Feb 13, 2008

Watched a program last night about super novas and they mentioned that Betelgeuse is a ripe candidate to go super nova (type 2) . They also mentioned that a Galaxy the size of the Milky Way should produce one or two every 100 yrs. and that there has not been one in 400 yrs. I wonder how really likely it is that this star will provide us such a spectacular show within the next couple of decades. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Bob DeWoody </div>

venator_3000 · Feb 13, 2008

Well, its rather hard to say. Its a very noticeable star and one of the local big boys, Antares also included. Betelgeuse is about 400+ lightyears away. Herschel was one of the first astronomers to study it and that was about 200 years ago. He noted a good deal of variability, even back then. The AAVSO also tracks it and some recent observations I beleive revealed a "hot-spot" on one of its solar poles. It would certainly get a good deal of attention if it went nova. But given its distance and Earth's ability (via its atmosphere) to shield us we should be okay if it exploded tomorrow (well, 430 years ago...we'd only see it tonight). Likely it will continue to vary for several more tens or hundreds of thousands of years. That's just my opinion based on behavior of other stars. v3k <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

MeteorWayne · Feb 13, 2008

I'll keep an eye on it when I'm out observing and let everyone know if anything happens <img src="/images/icons/cool.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id. I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function </div>

venator_3000 · Feb 13, 2008

Nice sim and soundtrack! v3k <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

derekmcd · Feb 13, 2008

How unbelievably cool would that be if you actually did? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <div> </div> <div>"If something's hard to do, then it's not worth doing." - Homer Simpson</div> </div>

MeteorWayne · Feb 13, 2008

One of the hidden benefits of meteor observing <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id. I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function </div>

shadow735 · Feb 13, 2008

Betelgeuse Betelgeuse Betelgeuse Opps...now I did it. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

heyscottie · Feb 13, 2008

And even though we should expect *some* star to go supernova every 100 years or so in the Milky Way, we should not expect any *particular* star to do anything on timelines less than hundreds of thousands, millions, or sometimes even billions of years.

thalion · Feb 13, 2008

Yes, statistics are weird like that; ten supernovae going off in three centuries with none for the following 700 would still give an average of once per century. Or to use another example, the "hundred-flood" that really means there's only a 1/100 chance of having one in any given year, rather than of having a century between each one.

Saiph · Feb 13, 2008

It doesn't even have to be obscured. If the Milky way produces one supernova every one hundred years, you have to remember that the Milky way is roughly, what, 100,000 light years? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> --------------------SaiphMOD@gmail.com -------------------"This is my Timey Wimey Detector. Goes "bing" when there's stuff. It also fries eggs at 30 paces, wether you want it to or not actually. I've learned to stay away from hens: It's not pretty when they blow" -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink" </div>

billslugg · Feb 13, 2008

Saiph It doesn't matter how big the Milky Way is, if it has one explosion every 100 years, on average, we will see one per hundred years on average. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

Saiph · Feb 14, 2008

At the very least, that assumes a random distribution of stars capable of supernova...and that's not really the case. Massive stars tend to congregate together, and along the edges of spiral arms, so that's where the supernovae are going to be. I'm also thinking about the effect of having a large volume of space, some 50,000 light years away, with superovae occuring at different distances (once every hundred years) and how that'll affect the overall rate of observation. It may just average out...then again... <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> --------------------SaiphMOD@gmail.com -------------------"This is my Timey Wimey Detector. Goes "bing" when there's stuff. It also fries eggs at 30 paces, wether you want it to or not actually. I've learned to stay away from hens: It's not pretty when they blow" -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink" </div>

alokmohan · Feb 14, 2008

Moreover we dont know much about variable stars.

derekmcd · Feb 14, 2008

Over cosmological time-scales we should see 1 per century on average. However, over a span of 1000 years, we could conceivably see 10 in 1 year if they were spaced apart properly, then not again for several centuries. I'm sure they weren't insinuating we would see them at that rate, only that they occur at that rate. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <div> </div> <div>"If something's hard to do, then it's not worth doing." - Homer Simpson</div> </div>

alokmohan · Feb 14, 2008

1987 supenova was not in milky way?

derekmcd · Feb 14, 2008

No. It came from the Large Magellanic Cloud which is a dwarf galaxy orbiting the Milky Way. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <div> </div> <div>"If something's hard to do, then it's not worth doing." - Homer Simpson</div> </div>

nexium · Feb 14, 2008

Possibly we would not notice a super nova behind the Coal Sack or behind the galactic center, but most anywhere else in the past 200 years it would have been observed. In the past 20 years, the neutrino burst would have allerted us to look for a super nova in progress. Neil

qso1 · Feb 14, 2008

In my graphic novel series, I had Betelgeuse go supernova in December 2016. I did it just to show what something like that might be like rather than any belief that it will happen. I chose Betelgeuse because it is a candidate star for going supernova soon (As in the next million years). <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> My borrowed quote for the time being:There are three kinds of people in life. Those who make it happen, those who watch it happen...and those who do not know what happened. </div>

alokmohan · Feb 18, 2008

I choose to wait for next million years.eh,eh

qso1 · Feb 18, 2008

Believe me, so do I. I just arbitrarily picked 2016 for my GN to make that particular episode more dramatic. OTOH, I wouldn't mind seeing a supernova from a safe distance. When I researched it, I found most astronomers believed that Betelgeuse would mainly be fatal to people in space. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> My borrowed quote for the time being:There are three kinds of people in life. Those who make it happen, those who watch it happen...and those who do not know what happened. </div>

alokmohan · Feb 19, 2008

People in space?Anybody out there?

adrenalynn · Feb 19, 2008

There was a nice nova recently in Puppis that I photographed, but I'm not certain what galaxy it was in. The star that went nova (not supernova) wasn't in any star catalog down to 24 magnitude. It brightened up to about an apparent magnitude 7, quickly dimmed to about a 9, held for a few days, then "vanished". Very low in my sky, difficult to image, harder to visually observe. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> .bipartisan (bī-pär'tĭ-zən, -sən) [Adj.] Maintaining the ability to blame republications when your stimulus plan proves to be a devastating failure.IMPEACH OBAMA! </div>

alokmohan · Feb 20, 2008

If it is not catalogued ,what other explanation is there?

derekmcd · Mar 6, 2008

Article on SDCThe light and other radiation that "blows" off these particles is so strong that the stellar winds of Eta Carinae can reach speeds of 900 to 1200 miles per second (1,500 to 2,000 kilometers per second). Because the two stars are in such close proximity, the winds collide in a ferocious shockwave where temperatures reach several thousand million degrees Kelvin. "It's a very tough environment," Leyder said. Tough environment?  That has to be the understatement of the year.  This sounds as if it is one of the most violent areas in our neighborhood. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <div> </div> <div>"If something's hard to do, then it's not worth doing." - Homer Simpson</div> </div>

adrenalynn · Mar 7, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>If it is not catalogued ,what other explanation is there? Posted by alokmohan</DIV> That it was a star that went nova.  No other explanation is required.   <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> .bipartisan (bī-pär'tĭ-zən, -sən) [Adj.] Maintaining the ability to blame republications when your stimulus plan proves to be a devastating failure.IMPEACH OBAMA! </div>

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